Bengaluru: Taking note of the delay in payment of cash through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) for beneficiaries of the Government’s ambitious ‘Anna Bhagya’ and ‘Gruha Lakshmi‘ Schemes, the Government, as a measure to ensure timely implementation of the Schemes, has issued a schedule for ensuring timely payment to beneficiaries, according to which the DBT will take place within the 20th of every month.

Under ‘Anna Bhagya,’ every person mentioned in the BPL Card, will get 5 kg rice for free and Rs. 170 in cash (in lieu of additional 5 kg rice) every month. Under ‘Gruha Lakshmi,’ the woman head of every eligible family will get Rs. 2,000 per month as financial assistance.

As a first step in this regard, the officials have been asked to complete the payment process between 10th and 15th of every month. Likewise, the Government has instructed the officials to complete the payment process between 1st and 5th of every month for payment of social security pensions.

Thus far, as many as 1.2 crore beneficiaries have registered for ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ Scheme. Out of this, about 10 lakh beneficiaries have not received the financial assistance (Rs. 2,000) from August to October 31, while 36 lakh beneficiaries have not received payment since September.

The Government has attributed the delay due to technical glitches in the payment process. Now, the Government has taken measures to ensure that the money is credited to the accounts of beneficiaries through DBT and thus ensure that the delay does not occur in future. Along with this, the Government has also planned to mitigate the pressure on the Treasury during month ends. This apart, the Govt. has directed the money drawing and disbursing officials to complete the process in accordance with the time-frame and submit the bills to the Treasury.