Maharashtra mulls monetising 'Golden Data' of welfare scheme beneficiaries

The Maharashtra government is weighing a proposal from the IT department to monetise non-personal data of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes through its new digital platform 'Samanvay', scheduled for launch on October 2, officials said.

The database, termed as 'Golden Data', will carry details of every beneficiary of state and central schemes and will be accessible through a unique 'MahaID' linked to Aadhaar numbers, they said.

The portal is currently under trial, a senior official from the Information Technology department said.

"Once the system functions smoothly, we may explore monetising the data with private companies, start-ups and financial institutions. This is consistent with central government policy, and privacy-related issues have already been addressed at the national level," he said.

The shared information would be anonymised, with no personal details revealed, he clarified.

"Such data will help private companies in conducting market research before product launches. However, the government has not taken a final decision yet," the official added.

The consolidated database will cover economic, social and geographical information of citizens, aimed at improving welfare delivery and eliminating ineligible beneficiaries, as per the IT department.

Duplication and inconsistencies in existing records have been removed, the official said.

Details available through the Aadhaar-linked system will include name, age, gender, religion, caste, income range, education, vehicles owned, government scheme benefits and number of children.

The state has also sought income data from the Income Tax department and vehicle information from the Vahan database. Health records are likely to be integrated with MahaID at a later stage.??  The state runs more than 50 welfare schemes, including centrally-sponsored ones.

Under the Ladki Bahin scheme, which provides Rs 1,500 per month to women aged 18 to 65, the government has found a few lakhs of ineligible beneficiaries through Golden Data, the official said. The women and child welfare department is currently carrying out physical verification of these cases.

"The consolidated database will be shared with relevant departments as and when specific schemes are implemented. The purpose is to ensure smooth execution of welfare programmes," the official said.