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While the Congress announced on Tuesday that the direct cash transfer will be a “game changer”, the Opposition said the scheme was clearly designed for electoral gains.
Termed as Aap Kaa Paisa Aap Ke Hath (Your money in your hands), the scheme will be launched in 51 districts across the country.
The Congress has invited presidents of all the 51 District Congress Committees (DCC) to the Capital to “learn” about the scheme. AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram will brief the DCC presidents about the scheme soon.
When asked whether the Congress was trying to draw political mileage from the scheme, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said: “The Congress is not an NGO. It is a political party.”
He said the scheme had nothing to do with elections as the Congress’ manifesto had promised direct cash transfer in 2009.
He, along with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, briefed reporters at the Congress headquarters here. They said 42 schemes of about five Ministries would be shifted to the direct cash transfer system.
Chidambaram said 29 schemes would be started from January 1. The Prime Minister had said on Monday that the funds that are provisioned for direct benefits like pensions, scholarships and health-care benefits must reach the intended beneficiaries without delays and leakages.
The Finance Minister said that the banking system would be simplified to help the beneficiaries.
He said individuals and societies, such as anganwadi workers and accredited social health activists, would be made banking correspondents. The Opposition, however, has questioned the Government’s intentions. BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said the scheme was crafted for electoral returns.
Opposition questions
He said that it would not be constitutionally possible for the Government to implement the scheme as the Unique Identification Authority of India Bill is yet to be passed by Parliament.
“There should be legal sanctity for the scheme. The Government cannot transfer public funds without any statutory backing just to seek electoral returns,” Joshi told Business Line . He urged the Election Commission to take note that such schemes are prepared to influence elections.
Chidambaram, however, said there was no need to wait for the Bill’s passage to launch the scheme. The CPI (M) said such a scheme would result in high inflation. The party leader Sitaram Yechury said the Government was trying to dismantle the public distribution system.
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