| The Direct Cash Benefits Transfer policy, introduced in January, sees the poor receiving cash payments directly in their bank accounts for pensions and scholarships. The aim is to stop the vast leakage and siphoning of welfare schemes worth thousands of crores. Eventually, the plan is for all subsidises on fuel, food and fertilizers to be deposited directly in the accounts of beneficiaries, using the Aadhaar scheme, which assigns a unique biometric identity number to every citizen. Only those with a UID and a bank account are able to receive direct cash transfers from the government for their entitlements. In a landmark step, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the much-awaited direct cash transfer scheme wherein the subsidy amount will go directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries. |