Activists protest against Centre's direct cash transfer scheme

The activists of the 'Right to Food' campaign claimed that cash subsidy for kerosene pilot project in Alwar's Kotkasim area has many shortcomings and demanded scrapping of the project.

"The government wants to reduce subsidy by introducing the scheme which would cast adverse impact on poor people. The pilot project of cash transfer for kerosene has negative response but the government is in a hurry to launch the scheme without analysing it," Ashok Khandelwal, an activist, told reporters here.

"We have conducted a study in Kotkasim and found that the project was implemented without proper preparations. Neither the beneficiaries nor the banking sector is ready for this scheme.

"Only 58 per cent of total 24,604 eligible beneficiaries have opened bank accounts because people there do not feel need for a bank account and there are concerns of special groups like single women and elderly who cannot roam around to withdraw their cash," he said.

In Kotkasim block of Alwar district, cash for kerosene scheme was launched in December last year on pilot basis.

Besides, he said, there are certain factors which reduce the volume of subsidy given to beneficiaries and many beneficiaries were left without the subsidy.