Direct benefit transfer helps government save Rs 36,500 crore

The government will garner savings of Rs 36,500 crore because of leakages plugged due to the use of Direct benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for LPG subsidy. 

The government said over Rs 36,500 crore have been saved by eliminating bogus beneficiaries and leakages through DBT scheme.

The DBT programme, a major reform initiative to check leakages of welfare funds, was launched on January 1, 2013. It has since then been universalised to cover all central sector and centrally-sponsored schemes, where cash benefits are transferred to individual beneficiaries.

The government said significant progress is being made against black money and stringent action is being taken. It has unearthed tax evasion of Rs 50,000 crore of indirect taxes--comprising service tax, excise and customs duty and "yielded undisclosed income of Rs 21,000 crore".

In the advertisement titled 'abki baar, mita bhrastachar' (this time, corruption removed), the government highlighted "historic improvement in India's ranking in Transparency International corruption index" without mentioning the rank.