Rs 4.24 crore DBT payout in Punjab, HP, Chandigarh: UIDAI

Payments of a cumulative Rs 4.24 crore have been disbursed amongst beneficiaries in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh under National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) as part of the second phase of Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT).

'In the second phase, Rs 31.38 lakh, Rs 2.75 crore and Rs 1.18 crore were paid out, respectively, to Punjab (4,642 beneficiaries), Chandigarh (45,407) and Himachal Pradesh (6,254) under NSAP,' said a source at the UIDAI office here.

NSAP encompasses three government programmes: Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme.

While the three districts of Fatehgarh Sahib, Barnala and SBS Nagar were covered in the second phase in Punjab, thethe beneficiaries in HP belonged to the districts of Una, Mandi, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Kullu and Solan. A total of 78 districts had been identified to be part of phase II of the DBT roll out, the source said.

The first phase of DBT had covered student scholarship schemes and women's welfare oriented programmes like Janani Suraksha Yojana and Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana, the source added.