MUMBAI, April 19 -- Of all the governance breakthroughs achieved by the Narendra Modi government, its record in improving welfare delivery has been discussed widely. Under the NDA government's direct benefit transfer (DBT) initiative, enabled by the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, which was launched immediately after Narendra Modi entered office, ~3 trillion in welfare has been disbursed to over 50 crore identified beneficiaries in the 20182019 financial year, according to government data. Since the programme's inception on January 1, 2013, ~6.77 trillion has been released directly to beneficiaries.
In addition to the measurable outcomes, DBT has eliminated pilferage. Over four crore fake or duplicate welfare beneficiaries (liquefied petro...