Covid-19: Govt to transfer financial assistance only through DBT mechanism

The finance ministry on Thursday clarified that financial assistance to people hit by the Covid-19 crisis will be provided only through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism and no other means.

The clarification came amid various rumours doing the rounds on financial assistance by the government.

"India has JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) based DBT mechanism for diff. schemes. Successfully deposited Rs. 28,256 Cr. to 31.77 Cr. beneficiaries bank a/cs under Covid relief. DBT is fulcrum for targeted delivery of such measures. Pls don't believe any outlandish rumours!," the Department of Financial Services said in a tweet.

There have been various rumours since the government announced the Rs 1.70 lakh crore Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalayan Yojana to help the poor withstand the hardship caused by the coronavirus lockdown.

Earlier this week, there was a rumour on social media that money transferred to women's Jan Dhan accounts will be taken back if the beneficiary does not withdraw immediately from the account.

This led to serpentine queues outside bank branches as worried women scrambled to claim the amount, thus putting social distancing measures in jeopardy.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had last month announced that as many of 20.5 crore women Jan Dhan account holders will get Rs 500 per month for the next three months.