11310 - Ambedkar Jayanti: PM Modi launches BHIM-Aadhaar, says digitisation will help fight corruption - First Post

Ambedkar Jayanti: PM Modi launches BHIM-Aadhaar, says digitisation will help fight corruption

BusinessFP StaffApr, 14 2017 15:09:43 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched BHIM-Aadhaar platform for merchants giving a further push for the shift towards less-cash economy through increased adaptation of digital payments. Speaking at a function in Nagpur on the occasion of 126th birth anniversary of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the prime minister also unveiled cash back and referral bonus schemes for the BHIM app.

"BHIM app will help the poor in the same way Ambedkar helped the country," the prime minister said announcing the launch. BHIM-Aadhaar is the merchant interface of the BHIM App.

"Whether you appreciate the idea of a cashless society or not, you will definitely be angry about corruption, which is something Bhim-Aadhaar app will fight against," he said.

A statement by NITI Aayog had on Thursday said that the app will help people make payments digitally using their biometric data like their thumb imprint on a merchants' biometric enabled device which could be smartphone having a biometric reader.

"Finger used to be a symbol of illiteracy. See how the times have changed," he said.

According to NITI Aayog, as many as 27 major banks are now on board with 3 lakh merchants so that they can start accepting payments using BHIM Aadhaar.

At the function the prime minister also felicitated the winners of the mega draw of the two major incentive schemes to promote digital payments, Lucky Grahak Yojana and Digidhan Vyapaar Yojana, that were launched earlier in order to spread awareness about digitisation.

The prime minister announced two new incentive schemes, BHIM cashback and referral bonus schemes. As per the referral bonus scheme, If a merchant adds a person to BHIM app, after 3 transactions by the person, your account will get a credit of Rs 10. If the merchant manages to get 20 people on BHIM app in a day, he will make Rs 200 at the end of the day, he said.

The schemes are expected to distribute incentives totalling Rs 495 crore to merchants. The schemes will remain open until 14 October.

Published Date: Apr 14, 2017 03:09 pm | Updated Date: Apr 14, 2017 03:09 pm

11210 - We are moving to a low transaction cost digital economy: Amitabh Kant - Business Today

We are moving to a low transaction cost digital economy: Amitabh Kant

 Dipak Mondal   New Delhi     Last Updated: May 1, 2017  | 17:41 IST

The government has been pushing for digital payments ever since the demonetisation. However, cost of digital payments remain a major stumbling block for many people to embrace digital methods of transaction. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, who also heads a committee set up the government to push digital payments, tells Dipak Mondal the steps the government has taken to bring down the cost of digital payments.

How has cost of digital payments fallen over the years, say, in the past five years?

We are moving from a low volume, high transaction cost to high volume, low transaction cost digital economy. Cost of digital payments have fallen significantly over the years, both due to pro-active initiatives of Government and increased volume of transactions. RBI has progressively reduced the caps on MDR charges on debit cards since 2012. It was brought to 0.75 per cent for transactions upto Rs. 2000 and 1 per cent for above Rs 2000. Further, in December 2016, cap on debit card MDR charges was further reduced to 0.25 per cent for transactions upto Rs. 1000, 0.5 per cent for Rs. 1000-2000 transactions. In February 2017, a draft MDR policy with revised charges and new categories has been proposed and public comments have been sought. I am sure RBI will initiate measures to provide a massive impetus to digital payments movement.

Enlist some of the steps that the government has taken in the past couple of years to bring down the cost of digital payments/ transactions?

Apart from rationalising caps on MDR on debit card transactions, Government has launched and incentivised new modes of digital payments. Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) is operated by banking correspondents where they are given incentives for transactions. Cost of micro ATMs, biometric devices and PoS devices have reduced quite significantly due to customs and excise duty waivers announced in the budget. Government also ran a DigiDhan campaign where 16 lakh lucky winners (users and merchants) were rewarded with prizes ranging from Rs 1000 to 1 crore. Further to incentivise behaviour change and bring down the cost of digital payments, referral and cashback schemes have also been launched for BHIM where users and merchants receive cashback. Referral Scheme awards Rs 10 cashback to referrer and Rs 25 to new user on each successful referral on BHIM.

Cashback Scheme is for merchants and awards Rs 100 for 50-100 inward transactions received by the merchant on BHIM every month if he/she receives it from at least 20 different customers. On top of 100 inward transactions, the merchant is given 50 paise per additional transaction with a cap of Rs 200. So, a merchant on BHIM can earn Rs 100-300 every month through the Cashback Scheme. On April 14th this year, the Prime Minister also launched BHIM Aadhaar, the merchant interface of the BHIM App, to ensure that citizens are able to transact digitally with just their aadhaar number, even without internet, smartphone or a mobile. This radically reduces the cost of buying expensive PoS devices by the merchant and, instead, transforms his mobile phone into a PoS device. This is a major disruptive move making digital transactions easy and simple. Every smartphone owner has the possibility of becoming a walking ATM.

The govt has recently launched the BHIM App, which allows chargeless transactions. What is the cost that the government is incurring by 'subsidising' digital transaction?

Government has led the way in rationalisation of cost of digital payments. Earlier regime of digital payments was based on low volume and asset heavy infrastructure. Now since the underlying fundamentals of the sector have changed where volumes have gone up exponentially and zero-cost acceptance infrastructure (QR code) has developed, the cost regime has to change. Government has tried to instill a "work done" principle while coming up with costs of a digital transaction. As the cost of settling a transaction on UPI/BHIM is very nominal, NPCI has waived off switch charges. However, the individual's bank may or may not have IMPS charges.

You have said on many occasions that cost of digital transaction would one day be less than that of cash transaction. What is the government's roadmap to achieve this target?

Cost of a cash transaction is not apparent to us. Nonetheless, it is costly. RBI and other commercial banks spend Rs 21000 crore every year on currency management operations. On top of it, there are costs associated with fake currency and replacement of soiled and torn notes. Visa's report estimates the overall cost of cash upto 1.7% of GDP. As the digital transactions rise in volumes, its costs, mainly in terms of MDR, will come down and will eventually become cheaper than cost of printing, storing, transporting, verifying, distributing and replacing currency.

What are the major challenges in bringing down the cost of digital payments further and what could government do to cross these hurdles?

The major objective is to increase the adoption and use of digital payments in India so that cash usage drops to 5-6 per cent of GDP. Government has taken multi-pronged steps to increase digital payments - DigiDhan campaign for awareness and behaviour change, incentive schemes, cost rationalisation, wider choices of modes of digital payments and infrastructure creation through Bharat Net. Government has also understood the role of fast changing technology in financial services space and hence has allowed the sector to grow without reactive intervention. New Payment and Small Banks have adopted ICT for increased access. More than 900 new fintech startups have developed various innovative technologies such as voice and SMS based transactions which do not need internet. All these new developments with pro-active government support will bring down the cost of digital payments substantially.

Usage of big data, new financial technologies such as blockchain and distributed currency will transform the way banking services are delivered. Transformation has been visible through my experiences since the time when fishermen in Kerala used to run around banks for opening an account to now when they can open an account either online or by just using their Aadhaar and thumbprint. Such a revolutionary fast paced change led by private sector and pro-actively supported by the government presents a huge opportunity for India - to make a quantum jump forward towards a digital economy. 

10748 - NITI offers rewards in cashless push but changing govt narratives prove digitisation a tall task - First Post

NITI offers rewards in cashless push but changing govt narratives prove digitisation a tall task

Sindhu BhattacharyaDec, 15 2016 19:15:22 IST

New Delhi: The ever changing government narrative after the demonetisation decision on 8 November has once again thrown up an interesting question: Is it mulling imposition of some sort of charge/levy for cash transactions? A senior government official today first said that more and more incentives would be given by the government to push digital transactions so that cash use declines. He then hinted that some internal discussions may take place on putting a charge/levy on cash transactions to make them less attractive than digital payments, before finally retracting and ending with a caveat that these thoughts were all his own, not the government’s.

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. Image courtesy PIB

So as of now, there is no clarity if such a move is even being contemplated within the government. But if indeed there is a though, it would be a rather fanciful one since the government’s own estimates show that only 5 percent  of all payments for personal consumption by Indians are done digitally as of now. Imposing a charge on 95 percent  non-digital payments would be quite impractical.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today that digital transactions were a parallel mechanism, not a substitute for cash transactions. He said this while making his opening remarks at the 5th Meeting of the Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Finance. The subject of today’s meeting was “Shift to Digital Transactions”.

So from becoming a cashless society to examining a possible levy on all cash transactions to admitting that digital cannot be the only way to transact – the government narrative changes by the hour. Jaitley also said in his remarks that less cash can be gradually substituted to the possible extent through digital payments/transactions and that the government and the RBI have taken various steps to bring down the cost of digital transactions.

That the government is at its wits’ end with its stated aim of turning India digital overnight is apparent. It must surely be a gradual process. To a question on what kind of redressal mechanism it has devised for problems with digital payment modes like e-wallets, Niti Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant first said the consumer courts will decide these matters before conceding that an alternative method will have to be devised to ensure speedier redressal. He was addressing a presser on the various incentives the government has announced for promoting digital payments through government backed instruments.

To a question over the unpreparedness of the National Payment Corporation of India in handling secure digital payments - it was reportedly recently hacked by Legion – Kant said all digital transactions via government backed instruments were based on two-factor authentication, making them secure. He gave the example of Aadhaar based payments – where even if someone gets to know your Aadhar number, that person cannot misuse the payment gateway since thumb impression or iris scan is still needed for payment to be completed.

Kant read out a host of incentives the government will dole out to citizens making digital payments (and shunning cash) from 25 December this year. There will be daily and weekly cash awards for consumers as well as merchants beginning Christmas Day, provided any of the four government backed payment instruments are used for transactions between Rs 50 - Rs 3,000. The incentives are available on payment by RuPay card, through UPI, through Aadhaar enabled payment systems and through USSD. The caveat is this though: these incentives only apply on people to merchant and people to government transactions, not for people to people or B2B transactions. So you cannot transfer money to an e-wallet, for example, and become part of the bumper prizes being rolled out.

Lucky Grahak Yojana for consumers:

I) Daily reward of Rs 1,000 to be given to 15,000 lucky consumers for a period of 100 days

II) Weekly prizes worth Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10,000 and Rs. 5,000 for consumers who use the alternate modes of digital payments

This will include all forms of transactions viz. UPI, USSD, AEPS and RuPay cards but will for the time being exclude transactions through private credit cards and digital wallets. Bumper prize: 3 mega prizes for consumers worth Rs 1 crore, Rs 50 lakh and Rs 25 lakh for digital transactions between 8 November, 2016 to 13 April, 2017 to be announced on 14 April, 2017

Digi-Dhan Vyapar Yojana for merchants:

1) Prizes for merchants for all digital transactions conducted at merchant establishments

2) Weekly prizes worth Rs. 50,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs. 2,500

3) Mega draw on 14th of April

III) Mega prizes for merchants worth Rs 50 lakh, Rs 25 lakh, Rs 12 lakh for digital transactions between 8 November, 2016 to 13 April, 2017 to be announced on 14 April 2017. Announcing ‘Lucky Grahak Yojana’ and ‘Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana’, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said both the schemes would cover small transactions between Rs. 50 and Rs. 3,000 to encourage every section of society to move to digital payments and the government will spend Rs 340 crore in all for this christmas gift.

Giving details on digital transactions post demonetisation of Rs. 1,000 and old Rs.500 notes, he said PoS transactions witnessed a jump of 95 percent since 8 November (till 7 December). RuPay card transactions were up 316 percent and e-wallet by 271 percent, while both Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) witnessed increase of about 1,200 percent each. All forms of transactions through UPI, USSD, Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) and RuPay cards will be eligible for lucky draws, he said.

Meanwhile, Jaitley also outlined the steps taken post demonetisation to encourage digital payments. He specifically mentioned about the MDR (merchant discount rate) charges which have been brought down significantly in case of transactions up to Rs.2,000 made through debit cards i.e. 0.25 percent in case of transactions below Rs. 1000 and 0.50 percent in case of transactions between Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000. The Finance Minister mentioned that incentives announced by the government last week relating to discount of 0.75 percent in case of purchase of petrol/diesel through digital payment has shown a very encouraging response from the people, by and large.

10703 - Panel suggests simpler ways for cashless payment, Rs 125 cr digital infra push - Tribune India

Posted at: Dec 11, 2016, 1:48 AM; 

Panel suggests simpler ways for cashless payment, Rs 125 cr digital infra push

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 10

The Chief Ministers’ committee on demonetisation and related issues today submitted its interim report to the government, suggesting a more user-friendly version of USSD or *99#, used on feature mobile phones for cashless payments, from December 25.

The panel, led by Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, also indicated that the cost of creating the desired infrastructure for cashless transactions should be borne out of the budgeted amount for financial inclusion. It said the government would need to spend Rs 125 crore for digital infrastructure.

Among several measures to mitigate people’s continued pain on account of cash crunch post-demonetisation, the panel also suggested that the procedure for simplified Know Your Customer (KYC) norms using Aadhaar needed to be adopted.

As the second meeting of the committee was held at NITI Aayog on Friday, the panel in its report said: “Upgraded version of USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) should be rolled out by December 25.”

The Friday meeting followed up the deliberations, which Naidu and NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya had with the Governor and senior management of the RBI and CMDs of major private and public sector banks on Thursday in Mumbai.

The panel said UIDAI would shortly roll out the common Android-based Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) application developed in collaboration with TCS that could be downloaded by merchants.

The panel suggested that the RBI should allow authentication through iris scanner and One Time Password (OTP) for AEPS and there should be no charge on AEPS transactions.

It also listed out a number of incentives to popularise digital transactions for which all consumers and merchants using cashless mode shall be eligible. “The incentives would be at two levels in the form of weekly and quarterly draws for prizes for such transactions,” a statement put out by NITI Aayog said.

10489 - Narendra Modi’s NITI Aayog power talk bears fruit; find out how - Financial Express

Narendra Modi’s NITI Aayog power talk bears fruit; find out how

Niti Aayog catalogues state-level best practices

By: The Financial Express | Updated: September 24, 2016 7:32 AM

In the case of micro-irrigation, the Gujarat study shows a 34% saving in water usage in cotton and 35% in sugarcane along with significant energy saving and production levels—while the payback is as low as 1.3 cropping seasons in the case of bananas, it is not clear from the study whether that is pre- or post-subsidy. (AP)

When he came to power, prime minister Narendra Modi talked of fashioning NITI Aayog as a repository of best practices, so that one state could learn from another and, if need be, seek the other’s active assistance. A smartly brought out State Forward compendium, on thick art paper, compiles over 80 such case-studies across the country, from areas as diverse as Aadhaar-enabled services to fixing education and transport woes—very helpfully, the name and e-mail of the official overseeing the project has been given at the end of each one- to two-page summary. By their very nature, such summaries do not go into the detail of how the project was conceived/executed, but their outcomes are inspiring. 

So, in the case of the Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh, using of a Point of Sale device which captured the biometrics of those availing of PDS rations—and cross-verified these in real time from the Aadhaar database—resulted in a saving of R70 crore over a period of 18 months. 

Were the same levels of savings to take place across the country—the NITI Aayog book does not do this—total savings could well be over R18,000 crore; they could even be more if the proportion of fake ration-card-holders weeded out are much higher. Similarly, while it is true the e-mandi is no substitute for freeing up physical mandis across the country, the experiment in Karnataka showed a significant increase in market prices for a few crops.

In the case of micro-irrigation, the Gujarat study shows a 34% saving in water usage in cotton and 35% in sugarcane along with significant energy saving and production levels—while the payback is as low as 1.3 cropping seasons in the case of bananas, it is not clear from the study whether that is pre- or post-subsidy. 

In the case of education, where most bemoan the quality of government teaching, the Pratham example talks of how, after the intervention period, more than 70% of children were reading fluently and doing basic arithmetic.

None of this is to say that these examples can be scaled up equally successfully, or that a solution in one state can easily be transplanted into another—if it were that simple, states like West Bengal would have learned from the likes of Gujarat and had high industrial growth and low labour disputes. 

The point, however, is that when successful examples like this are showcased, they have more impact than, for instance, a World Bank report talking about solutions that worked in a Latin American setting you are not familiar with. 

Now that NITI Aayog has done this first step—a team of over 60 people put together the case-studies—it would be interesting to see how different states reach out to others to learn from their examples; indeed, part of NITI’s job must be an effective outreach programme which helps states discuss their learnings with one another.

10275 - Now, NGOs have to register with NITI Aayog for grants - The Hindu

NEW DELHI, July 24, 2016

Now, NGOs have to register with NITI Aayog for grants

•  ANURADHA RAMAN

Stepping up its scrutiny of NGOs, especially their financial dealings, the Centre has made obtaining unique identification numbers and registering them on the NITI Aayog portal, including the details of the Aadhaar and PAN numbers of all their trustees and office- bearers, mandatory for them to apply for grants from any ministry.

The decision was taken by the Aayog at its meeting on May 9, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired following which all ministries have been directed to process the proposal for grants and releases to the NGOs only through the Aayog’s portal, according to the minutes seen by The Hindu .

At the meeting to review the progress in providing unique identifiers to entities, Aadhar enrolment and provision of direct benefit transfer and services, it was also decided that a system should be developed to give unique entity numbers to charitable trusts and societies.

“As Aadhaar Act has already been passed by Parliament, it was felt that further steps to use Aadhaar in various schemes …should be initiated in accordance with the provisions of the Act,” the minutes said. The Act was passed earlier this year after the Centre moved it as a money Bill since these need only Lok Sabha’s nod for passage. The Rajya Sabha had approved amendments to the Bill moved by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, which the Centre bypassed.

Significantly, a June 26 government notification said if an NGO receives government funding in excess of Rs 1 crore, those handling its day-to-day operations will be treated as public servants under the Lokpal and Lok Ayukta Act (2013).

10021 - Mann ki baat: Modi emphasises need for digital payments - Live Mint

Last Modified: Sun, May 22 2016. 08 16 PM IST

Mann ki baat: Modi emphasises need for digital payments

Narendra Modi says Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile (JAM) together can help the nation move towards a cashless economy

Preetika Khanna

PM Narendra Modi said that the government had started various measures including RuPay card and online transactions to make the transition easier. Photo: Bloomberg

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio address Mann ki Baat emphasised on the need to move towards a cashless economy.

“We need to make India modern, transparent and have to implement procedures across the country. There was a time when transactions happened through barter system. Then notes and coins came. But now the world is moving towards a cashless economy. The start will be difficult but once you get used to it, will be simple,” Modi said in his address.

He added, “Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile (JAM) together can help us move towards a cashless economy. If we use the measures (made available by the government) we will able to bring transparency and reduce black money.”

He said that the government had started various measures including RuPay card and online transactions to make the transition easier.

Modi also asked people to store water effectively in the coming monsoon season. “We need to think about water storage as well. We should not become careless and then suffer shortage. With the rainy season coming we should strive to store water. We should conserve it and not waste the coming season.”

Modi, who in the last month has met heads of 11 states which have declared drought, said that some innovative steps to tackle this issue had come up.

“I have asked Niti Aayog to look into how the best practices can be implemented in other states as well,” he said.

Large parts of the country are facing drought after two successive years of below-average rainfall. The 2015 southwest monsoon, which waters over half of India’s crop area, was 14% short of normal last year, after a 12% deficit in 2014. According to the India Meteorological Department, monsoon is expected to arrive in Kerala on 7 June, six days later than normal.

Pretika Khanna

9894 - PMO asks NITI Aayog to widen ambit of DBT - Business Standard

PMO asks NITI Aayog to widen ambit of DBT

The PMO has asked the NITI Aayog to explore all government services and delivery schemes for this purpose

Sanjeeb Mukherjee  |  New Delhi 

April 26, 2016 Last Updated at 23:49 IST

The government is considering expanding the ambit of Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT). The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked the NITI Aayog to explore all government services and delivery schemes for this purpose.

The idea is to try and provide all subsidies through an Aadhaar (the citizen identification scheme)-enabled DBT by 2017-end. At present, about 30 per cent of DBT is through Aadhaar; about Rs 4,000 crore is paid monthly for 57 such schemes. The government has met success in using the mechanism for transfers in cooking gas (liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG) and foodgrain.

DBT in LPG has enabled the Centre to eliminate duplication in these accounts. For beneficiaries of the Public Distribution System in foodgrain, there’s an option of getting the allotment directly or being paid cash directly into their accounts, especially the new accounts under the Jan-Dhan Yojana. DBT encompasses various other government schemes as well, such as directly crediting Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme payments directly to bank accounts. Some new transfers, such as those for kerosene, are also planned to be through DBT, this financial year.

The Lok Sabha has already passed the Aadhaar Bill, to provide a statutory basis for the scheme to give each citizen a unique identity number, and to give legal teeth for ensuring subsidies and services directly reach the beneficiaries.

9875 - Niti Aayog Finalizes Action Plan For India’s Double Digit Growth - Tele Analysis

By Pravin Prashant April 22, 2016, 6:35 am

Niti Aayog Finalizes Action Plan For India’s Double Digit Growth

Niti Aayog has finalized action plan based on 8 themes proposed by group of secretaries to see that India’s GDP grows at 10 percent year after year.

The eight themes finalized by group of secretaries are: Accelerated growth with inclusion and equity; employment generation strategies; health and education; good governance; farmer centric issues in agriculture & allied sectors; swachh bharat and ganga rejuvenation; energy conservation & efficiency and innovative budgeting and effective implementation.

Niti Aayog has created an action-plan based on 8 themes finalized by group of secretaries so that the country’s economy reaches $10 trillion economy with no poverty in 2032.

Accelerated Growth with Inclusion and Equity: More than 2 lakh crore investment in roads and railways (FY17), complete 10,000 Kms of road projects (FY17), upgradation of 50,000 Kms of state highways into national highways and increase rural tele-density to 100 percent by 2020.

Employment Generation: Linking all employment exchanges with e-platform (National Career Service) (March, 2017) and to place skill gap analysis of 600 districts on official website of MSME by April 2016.

Health and Education: Opening up of 3,000 Jan-Ausadhi centres in the country (FY17), opening of 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas (FY17), promotion of medical tourism and creating an enabling regulatory architecture for creation of world class research and teaching institutions (FY17).

Good Governance: Introduce bill to amend the Companies Act, 2013 (FY17), setup online procurement platform via FCI (FY17) and repeal 1,053 archaic laws pending for Parliament approval (FY17). Nation-wide toll collection system (September, 2016), broadband connectivity through optical fibre for all gram panchayats (December, 2018), last mile mobile connectivity using space technology (June, 2017) and 175 million broadband connections (2017).

Farmer Centric Issues in Agriculture & Allied Sectors: Setup long term irrigation fund in NABARD (FY17), bring 14 crore farms under soil health card scheme (FY18), organic farming via Parmparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (FY19), distribution of HYV seeds and technical know-how to entire country (FY17) and online order of farming equipment and products via post offices (FY18).

The government will also focus on integration of digitized record of rights (RoR), cadastral maps and registration process in 30 new districts (FY17) and creation of crop genetic enhancement network (FY18). Operationalisation of 4 mega food parks, 29 cold chain projects (FY17), implementation of Jal-Mitra concept and 2 lakh solar pumpsets with micro irrigation under PMKSY (Sep – 2016). Pashu-Sanjivani scheme for animals in milk (FY19), E-Pashu haat, portal for bovines & germplasm (FY17), and blue revolution target of 15 MMT fish production (FY20).

Swachh Bharat and Ganga Rejuvenation: Power PSUs to adopt railway stations, schools, bus stands, hospitals, religious, heritage sites for cleanliness (FY17) and development and dissemination of IT tools created for sanitation and SBM (FY17). Develop proof of concept for bio-degradable packaging systems (FY17) and additional waste management facilities in 50,000 villages.

Energy Conservation and Efficiency: Improve fuel efficiency norms for vehicles (FY17) and incentivize construction of energy efficient buildings (FY17). Develop proof of concept for polymer electrolyte membrane based fuel cell to increase efficiency (FY17) and techniques for conversion of municipal solid and liquid waste to energy via creation of demo-plants (FY18).

Innovative Budgeting and Effective Implementation: DBT for fertilizers to improve service delivery (FY17), planning/monitoring of projects using GIS in North Eastern Region (December, 2016). Alignment of corporate tax rates with global average while removing excessive exemptions (FY17).

Aadhaar bill (FY17), seeding of Aadhaar number in 90 percent ration cards (FY17) and PAN made mandatory for all businesses and entities and serve as unique business identifier (FY17).

To implement these 8 themes, Niti Aayog plans to have workshops with all stakeholders say ministries, state government departments, institutions, experts and academics to synergize actions. The government also needs to ensure that the final delivery is at par with global benchmarks.

9713 - Device with Aadhaar authentication feature launched - Economic Times

Device with Aadhaar authentication feature launched

By PTI | 1 Apr, 2016, 01.10AM IST

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the government's entire focus is on DBT across board and the key to that is the ability to have machine like this one.

NEW DELHI: To support Digital India and Make in India programmes, hardware industry body MAIT in association with Intel and Datamini launched a mobile tablet which has got fingerprint scanner for Aadhaar authentication.

The tablet is likely to be priced at around Rs 13,000 and can be used for initiatives such as direct benefits transfer (DBT) via Aadhaar-linked savings bank accounts.

Launching the device, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the government's entire focus is on DBT across board and the key to that is the ability to have machine like this one.

"We must understand that a machine like this radically reduces the cost of transaction," Kant said.

The device, can also be deployed in the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' (PMJDY), to extend banking services to the rural and urban poor; make wage payments linked to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS); deliver subsidised foodgrains to BPL families via the e-PDS (Public Distribution System); monitor public health services under the National Health Mission (NHM) and so on.

"Intel actively collaborates with the government, educational institutions and civil society organisations to empower local communities through the use of technology. The launch of the Intel architecture-based Datamini Janunnati Pad is another step towards supporting the vision of Digital India," Debjani Ghosh, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group & Managing Director, South Asia - Intel, and President, MAIT said.

8728 - Uidai Shifted To It Ministry From Niti Aayog - iGov.In

Uidai Shifted To It Ministry From Niti Aayog

•  BY Sameersachdeva

New Delhi, Sep 21 (PTI) The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar cards, has been shifted to the administrative control of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology from Niti Aayog.

The decision to shift UIDAI from Niti Aayog, which has replaced Planning Commission, has been taken keeping in mind the government's ambitious 'Digital India' programme as the Aadhaar numbers are being linked with several services, official sources said.

The issuance of Aadhaar cards, started by the then UPA government, has come under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court which recently held that the card would not be mandatory for availing benefits of government's welfare schemes.

The Cabinet Secretariat has amended Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 and put it under Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeITy), Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, a notification issued by the government said.

Earlier, UIDAI was the part of Planning Commission. Niti Aayog is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chairperson.

Aadhaar is a 12-digit individual identification number issued by UIDAI.

8717 - UIDAI shifted to IT Ministry from Niti Aayog - Financial Express

UIDAI shifted to IT Ministry from Niti Aayog

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar cards, has been shifted to the administrative control of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology from Niti Aayog.

By: PTI | New Delhi | September 18, 2015 9:36 PM

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which issues Aadhaar cards, has been shifted to the administrative control of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology from Niti Aayog.

The decision to shift UIDAI from Niti Aayog, which has replaced Planning Commission, has been taken keeping in mind the government’s ambitious ‘Digital India’ programme as the Aadhaar numbers are being linked with several services, official sources said.

The issuance of Aadhaar cards, started by the then UPA government, has come under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court which recently held that the card would not be mandatory for availing benefits of government’s welfare schemes.

The Cabinet Secretariat has amended Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 and put it under Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeITy), Ministry of Communication nd Information Technology, a notification issued by the government said.

Earlier, UIDAI was the part of Planning Commission. Niti Aayog is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chairperson.

Aadhaar is a 12-digit individual identification number issued by UIDAI.

First Published on September 18, 2015 9:36 pm

8353 - Govt linking NPR data with Aadhaar numbers

Govt linking NPR data with Aadhaar numbers

PTI | Jul 22, 2015, 03.41 PM IST

NEW DELHI : Government has decided to update the National Population Register (NPR) and seed the Aadhaar number in the NPR database. 

Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary told Rajya Sabha that the initiative would cost Rs 951.35 crore and the field work would be completed by March 2016. 

"This updated NPR database along with Aadhaar number would become the mother database and can be used by various government departments for selection of beneficiaries under their respective schemes," he said in reply to a written question. 

There is no duplication of efforts as all the agencies namely Registrar General of Citizen Registration India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Unique Identification Authority of India, NITI Aayog, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Mission, Ministry of Finance and State/Union Territories Governments are working in close coordination for completion of the above exercise. 

The National Population Register is a Register of usual residents of the country. The project is being implemented by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 

The Unique Identification Authority of India is responsible for collecting the biometric and demographic data of residents, store them in a centralised database, and issue a 12-digit unique identify number called Aadhaar to each resident. It is considered the world's largest national identification number project.

8163 - PM Narendra Modi tells ministries to go whole hog for Aadhaar-linked schemes - DNA

PM Narendra Modi tells ministries to go whole hog for Aadhaar-linked schemes

Friday, 19 June 2015 - 6:35am IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: dna | From the print edition

dna Correspondent

The decision comes in the wake of super savings that have been achieved in various benefit schemes by plugging leakages and de-duplication by way of Aadhaar number.

Giving a major boost to UIDAI-run Aadhaar platform, a brainchild of former PM Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for accelerating the delivery of benefits, and expanding the applications of the Aadhaar (UID) platform in least possible time.

The decision comes in the wake of super savings that have been achieved in various benefit schemes by plugging leakages and de-duplication by way of Aadhaar number.

Earlier, in November last year, the PM had tasked his trusted aide Nripendra Misra to get cracking and roll out the unique ID numbers for 110 crore citizens within five months.

In a review meeting of the progress of UID and DBT, where Union home minister Rajnath Singh, ministers of state in the finance and home ministries Jayant Sinha and Haribhai Chaudhary, vice chairman of the NITI Aayog Arvind Panagariya, and senior officials from various ministries were present, the PM called for expansion of the applications of the Aadhaar platform, so that its benefits can be extended to as many public services as possible.

Modi directed the concerned officials of Niti Ayog, UIDAI and NPR to identify applications, where concrete results can be achieved in the next two months.

"We have been asked to seed Aadhaar number with all the benefit schemes and strengthen the institutional mechanism related with Aadhaar and DBT, using a portion of the savings that has been achieved through stopping leakages and de-duplication," said an official who attended the meeting.

The Prime Minister was informed that a total of 14 to 15 percent saving has been being achieved in LPG subsidy alone, as a result of elimination of leakages, and de-duplication.

Besides, the PM also asked officers to examine the possibility of incentivizing states through a one-time sharing of a portion of the savings, as a result of successful implementation of DBT schemes, said an official of Niti Ayog.

8158 - PM Narendra Modi Reviews Aadhaar Benefits Scheme - NDTV

PM Narendra Modi Reviews Aadhaar Benefits Scheme

All India | Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: June 18, 2015 17:17 IST

NEW DELHI:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held a review of the Unique Identification or Aadhar and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and called for accelerating the delivery of benefits through both schemes.

Reviewing the progress at a high-level meeting, he called for expansion of the applications of the Aadhaar platform, so that its benefits can be extended to as many public services as possible. He directed officials concerned to identify applications, where concrete results can be achieved in the next two months, according to an official statement.

Appreciating the progress made in some areas, Modi sought the strengthening of the institutional mechanism related with Aadhaar and DBT.

The prime minister was informed that a total of 14 to 15 per cent saving is being achieved in cooking gas subsidy alone, as a result of elimination of leakages, and duplication.

The meeting was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministers of State in the Finance and Home Ministries Jayant Sinha and Haribhai Chaudhary, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya and other senior officials.

8140 - Poorest of poor to get direct cash transfer - TNN

Poorest of poor to get direct cash transfer

Mahendra Singh, TNN | Jun 13, 2015, 05.53AM IST

NEW DELHI: NITI Aayog is considering an "out of the box" proposal to identify five most deprived families in every village and provide them assistance through direct cash transfer as part of the Narendra Modi government's plan to eliminate poverty. The plan is in its initial phase and could be part of the strategy to combat poverty and use the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile) platform to plug loopholes and ensure that the benefits reach the poor. 

Under the proposal which has been suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the beneficiaries would be identified by the panchayats and they would be provided direct central assistance through various government schemes. 

Among other measures, the aayog wants to incentivize panchayats and municipalities for success of anti-poverty programmes. 

The Modi administration is keen to strengthen its "pro-poor" image after criticism that it favours the big corporates. 

Therefore, the solutions that emerge from the brain-storming at NITI Ayog will ensure that the fight against poverty is fought at the level of beneficiaries without courting any controversy over the number of poor or the delivery mechanism. 

A senior official said the concept of JAM trinity could play a vital role in widening the reach of the government to vulnerable sections of the society. More families could be included in future as part of anti-poverty schemes, he added. The pilot project could emerge as a bigger platform for the government's anti-poverty drive. 

The task force on poverty elimination, headed by NITI Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya and including Bibek Debroy and the government's chief statistician TCA Anant, wants the government to address leaks and inefficiency in welfare schemes by encouraging Aadhaar-based services, noting that around 80% of the population was already covered under unique identification scheme. 

The panel, which is likely to finalize its report by June-end, feels a mechanism of cash transfers and addressing the problem of leaks through the Aadhaar platform could be adopted for anti-poverty schemes. 

The government is keen to avoid any controversy over the poverty estimates and is keen to ensure that the benefits reach the intended target group. The NITI Aayog is considering using more broad-based criteria by relying on a clutch of indicators including the socio-economic caste census and health indicators to arrive at the number of people who lack basic facilities, while keeping the poverty ratio only for analytical purposes. The specific measurable deprivation-based indicators will be used to identify beneficiaries for social welfare schemes. 

Some members have proposed that purchasing power parity (PPP) concept could be considered for allocation of resources among states for various schemes. PPP among states could be derived from the NSSO consumption expenditure data or state-wise poverty lines and may be used for inter-state allocation of resources, they said. 

The Aayog's task force is expected to suggest a combination of steps — from raising rural wages through fast economic growth, mainly in agriculture, to creating more jobs in labour intensive manufacturing sectors - to lift people out of poverty, officials said.

8118 - Undertake comprehensive pan-India assessment of migration patterns: Jayalalitha to NITI Aayog -

Undertake comprehensive pan-India assessment of migration patterns: Jayalalitha to NITI Aayog

KNN Bureau | 08 06 2015 04:51:03 PM IST

Chennai, June 8 (KNN) Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has suggested the NITI aayog to undertake a comprehensive pan-India assessment of migration patterns, needs and aspirations and then formulate requisite policy interventions for both providers and absorbers of migrant labour.

Jayalalitha on Sunday wrote a letter to her Punjab counterpart and chairman of the sub-group of chief ministers, Prakash Singh Badal on skill development of Niti Aayog highlighting the points to be included in the draft report of the committee.

In her letter, Jayalalithaa thanked Badal for the invitation extended to her to attend the second meeting of Niti Aayog at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

She said, “In the first meeting of the sub group held on 25 April, 2015, Tamil Nadu's views had been presented in detail. Skill development is a very important issue for the country as a whole and we, in Tamil Nadu have been taking a number of initiatives in this crucial area. I have read the draft report that has been circulated and I am happy to note that many of the suggestions made by Tamil Nadu have found place in the draft report.'

However, she reiterated some other suggestions were missing in the report.

The release quoted her suggestion saying, “The draft report in para 2.4.2 refers to addressing the issue of skill development in demographically advantaged states. Taking cognizance of the heterogeneity of demographic challenges and opportunities across different sates, targeted interventions need to be devised by broadly classifying the states as net suppliers and net absorbers of labour.”

 "One of the recommendations should be to undertake a comprehensive pan-India assessment of migration patterns, needs and aspirations, based on which requisite policy interventions for both providers and absorbers of migrant labour can be formulated," Jayalalithaa said in her letter.

 “It is a matter of national priority to address the productivity gaps of the demographically mature sates like Tamil Nadu, lest their populations grow old without fully enjoying the fruits of growth and development. Hence, the report needs to focus on this aspect as well. In this light, one of the recommendations should be to undertake a comprehensive pan-India assessment of migration patterns, needs and aspirations, based on which requisite policy interventions for both oroviders and absorbers of migrant labour can be formulated,” she wrote.

Seeking clarity on the implementation of skill development projects nationwide, Jayalalithaa said, "It would be desirable for the central government agencies including NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation) to confine themselves to national level standardization, provision of financing and policy and legislative frameworks."

"Actual training delivery should be routed through and monitored by state government agencies which are better placed to mobilise candidates for training," she said.

On identification of skill development strategy on sector wise basis, she said, "This is clearly a task best done at the state level since the priority sectors would vary from state to state."

She said Union and ministry of skill development should intensify efforts towards universal adoption of the National Skills Qualification Framework and clarify its linkage with the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework.

Noting that there is no mention of issues relating to persons with disabilities, Jayalalithaa said, this is a key omission. A recommendation stating "to ensure that persons with disabilities are effectively skilled, it is essential to identify skill training partners who have the requisite expertise and infrastructure to provide the specialized training" should be included in the report. (KNN Bureau)

8117 - Jaya wants changes in NITI Aayog - Deccan Herald

Jaya wants changes in NITI Aayog

Chennai, June 8, 2015, dhns:

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha on Sunday urged her Punjab counterpart and Chairman of the Sub-Group of Chief Ministers Prakash Singh Badal to include several initiatives in the draft report of the committee on skill development, NITI Aayog.

Referring to addressing the issue of skill development in demographically advantaged states, Jayalalitha said taking cognisance of the heterogeneity of demographic challenges and opportunities across different states, targeted interventions need to be devised by broadly classifying the states as net suppliers and net absorbers of labour. “There are clear complementaries between the opportunities and requirements in both states. The interventions at the national level need to cover the needs of both sets of states and not just focus on the so-called demographically advantaged states. Solutions to some of the issues that demographically advantaged states face may lie in policy interventions in demographically more mature states and vice versa,” Jayalalitha said. She said it was a matter of national priority to address the productivity gaps of the demographically mature states like Tamil Nadu, lest their populations grow old without fully enjoying the fruits of growth and development.

The report needs to focus on this aspect as well, she added.

In this light, one of the recommendations should be to undertake a comprehensive pan-India assessment of migration patterns, needs and aspirations, based on which requisite policy interventions for both providers and absorbers of migrant labour can be formulated, Jayalalitha said.

Pointing out that in the report there is no mention of issues relating to persons with disabilities, Jayalalitha said “this was a key omission”.

“A crucial element of the Skill Development Strategy is the determination of sectoral priorities based on an independent assessment of the needs of each sector and the formulation of appropriate policies to enhance the qualitative and quantitative skill availability for the sector,” she said, adding, this was clearly a task best done at the state-level since the priority sectors would vary from state to state.

Jayalalitha said the Union government and the Ministry of Skill Development should intensify the efforts towards universal adoption of National Skills Qualification Framework  and clarify its linkage with National Vocational Education Qualification Framework .

8086 - The last mile in direct benefits transfer - Live Mint

The last mile in direct benefits transfer

Higher commissions for banks and agents in rural areas will bring substantial returns to the govt immediately

Sumita Kale 

Whatever criticism one may have of the present government, the lack of big ideas and push to implement the direct benefits transfer (DBT) cannot figure in them.

Fixing the leaky subsidy regime is a massive challenge, politically and operationally, and this is being taken on. 

Although multiple solutions have been proposed over the past decade, getting everyone a bank account is the first step for DBT. Here, the big idea of Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) came to the forefront. The next big idea came from the Economic Survey—the JAM (Jan Dhan+Aadhaar+Mobile) trinity to effectively target subsidies. 

Niti Aayog has taken the idea further, to use the JAM trinity to match all existing DBT and socioeconomic databases. While cleaning out databases and matching them will be challenging, the policy intent is clear—widening the coverage of DBT, reducing leakages and moving towards precisely targeted subsidies.

The government has gone beyond just talk; there has been considerable action with many pieces falling into place to streamline the DBT process. 

The Aadhaar imbroglio that had hit liquified petroleum gas subsidy transfers last year was resolved, allowing the option of bank accounts, and both Aadhaar and PMJDY coverage continue to expand at a fast clip. 

Last December, 27 DBT schemes were extended from the initial 121 districts to the entire country, and 7 scholarship schemes were added. From April, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has been added to the DBT platform in 300 districts—this is a big step forward. The notifications on the MGNREGS payouts process show a willingness to address existing operational bottlenecks. For instance, payment of commissions to banks is now due on credit into the beneficiary account, rather than on withdrawal—this takes care of a major concern for the banks that are investing in extending services to all DBT beneficiaries in the last mile.

8071 - 5 poorest families in every village may soon get extra govt attention - TNN

5 poorest families in every village may soon get extra govt attention

TNN | May 29, 2015, 05.48 AM IS

NEW DELHI: Identifying five most deprived families in every village and providing them assistance through direct intervention is expected to be one of the recommendations of Niti Aayog's panel set up to suggest ways to eliminate poverty in the country.

The beneficiaries would be identified by the panchayats and would be provided direct central assistance through various government schemes. More such families could be included in future as part of anti-poverty schemes, said an official.

Among other measures, the Aayog wants to incentivize panchayats and municipalities for success of anti-poverty programmes.

The panel, which is likely to finalize its report by June, feels a mechanism of cash transfers and addressing the problem of leaks through the Aadhaar platform could be adopted for anti-poverty schemes.

The task force, headed by Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya and including Bibek Debroy and the government's chief statistician TCA Anant, wants the government to address leaks and inefficiency in welfare schemes by encouraging Aadhaar-based services, noting that around 80% of the population was already covered under Aadhaar.

A senior official said the concept of JAM trinity (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) could play a vital role in widening the reach of the government to vulnerable sections of the society.

As far as national urban livelihood mission and housing for all by 2022 schemes of the government are concerned, the task force was worried about using socio-economic caste census 2011 as there will be significant gap between the survey year and the actual identification of poor for delivery of services.

"The objective should be to attain the six goals highlighted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by 2022, which includes housing for all, which would have at least one earning member and which would be connected to at least one major road," said a senior official.