As much as Rs 25 lakh crore has been distributed so far to beneficiaries under various welfare schemes and subsidies through Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana bank accounts, Union Minister of Tourism G Kishan Reddy said on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters at Jangaon, about 90 km from here, after the inauguration and dedication of 75 digital banking units to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reddy said half of the 50 crore Jan Dhan accounts belong to women.
“You all know when the Jan Dhan accounts were opened there was question whether it was required in our country. Today, we have distributed Rs 25 lakh crore on welfare schemes to poor people through Jan Dhan accounts. This is an achievement,” he said.
Reddy further said today there is Rs 1.75 lakh crore in the Jan Dhan bank accounts deposited by the poor.
He further said there were several instances in some States where the subsidies, pensions and welfare schemes of poor people are being looted by fraudsters using fake identities.
As many as four-crore fake ration cards were cancelled after the implementation of direct benefit transfer (DBT) and the same number of false LPG cylinder accounts, Reddy said.
Claiming that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had earlier said only Rs 15 is reaching people as against the Centre’s disbursal of Rs 100 as the middlemen were pocketing Rs 85, the Union Minister said,“Today we can proudly say if the Centre sends Rs 100 to a poor man, even as single paise is not diverted.”
Stating that the Centre is ready to deposit scholarships to SC and ST students directly into their bank accounts, Kishan Reddy said he is requesting the Telangana government to provide the bank details of those students so that Rs 300 crore towards that can be transferred.
Reddy, also Minister for Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), said for the past several years, works used to be done only papers in the north-east and after the implemention of digitalisation system works are monitored through that and payments released.
-With PTI Input
