'Centre saved Rs 36,000 cr by weeding out bogus beneficiaries'

The Narendra Modi-led NDA government has saved Rs 36,000 crore by weeding out fake beneficiaries of various welfare schemes after linking the Aadhaar cards to the bank accounts, Union Minister Anant Geete said today.
"By linking Aadhaar cards with bank accounts, the Union Government has been able to stop the leakages that would have plagued the current government welfare programs," Geete, Union Heavy Industries Minister, told reporters here.
"For the financial year 2015-16, nearly Rs 36,000 crore has been saved by weeding out bogus beneficiaries. Over the years, these bogus and duplicate beneficiaries had been availing benefits of various welfare subsidies," he said.

According to Geete, the amount of Rs 36,000 crore, which was saved, could be used for development of various states.
The minister was here to reach out to people on the occasion of the NDA government completing two years in office.
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana has been the most successful programme, the senior Shiv Sena leader said adding, "More than 22 crore bank accounts have been opened and about Rs 37,000 crore deposits have been received by the banks. It shows that citizens are not only economically empowered, but their self-esteem has also gone up."

"At the same time, the digitisation of ration cards, has helped the government to identify and remove nearly 3.5 crore bogus ration card holders," he added.

In the last two years, the Modi government has introduced several policies for social development and welfare of the nation, he said.
The minister claimed that the Modi government will keep up its promise of providing two crore jobs in the five years of its tenure. "The government is working towards creating the employment opportunities," he said.