Released by economist Jean Drèze on Saturday, the survey looked into the workings of the Direct Benefit Transfer among 244 households in 13 villages in Nagri block of Ranchi, under which residents first collect their food subsidy in cash from their banks accounts, and then purchase rice from their ration shops at Rs 32 per kg.
New Delhi: The Jharkhand government’s experiments with Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) has left nearly 97 percent residents in Ranchi’s Nagri block less than happy, according to a civil society survey.
Released by economist Jean Drèze on Saturday, the survey looked into the workings of the DBT among 244 households in 13 villages in Nagri, under which residents first collect their food subsidy in cash from their banks accounts, and then purchase rice from their ration shops at Rs 32 per kg.
Before DBT was implemented in October, 2017, residents could directly get rice from ration shops at Re 1 per kg.
The survey threw up problems with the way the DBT scheme had been structured.
Earlier, ration shops were the only access point residents needed. With the DBT system residents have to queue up at banks, many then have to go to local Pragya Kendras and finally to the ration shops. Banks located, on an average, 4.5 km away from households, and Pragya Kendras, or common service centres, 4.3 km away. Thus, residents now spent an average 12 hours to get their rice. Some, about 28 percent, spent over 15 hours, equivalent of two working days, the survey says.
Despite the time spent in queues, many have gone without their rice. Out of four installments of DBT money due to them since October 2017, respondents have received only 2.1 installments on average. Out of four monthly rice rations due to them since October 2017, the respondents have been able to collect only 2.5, on average, said the survey.
Please click here to read more.