Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme

The majority of economists advocate converting all agricultural subsidies into direct income support, also known as Direct Benefit Transfer to Farmers.

What is the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme?

• Aim: It is envisioned as a tool to help with the simpler/faster flow of information and funds to beneficiaries, as well as to reduce fraud in the delivery system.
• Implementation: It is a mission or initiative launched by the Indian government on January 1, 2013, to reform the government delivery system.

• The Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS), an earlier version of the Office of Controller General of Accounts' Public Financial Management System (PFMS), was chosen to serve as the common platform for Direct Benefit Transfer routing.
• Beneficiary Account Validation System, a robust payment and reconciliation platform integrated with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Public & Private Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks, and Cooperative Banks (core banking solutions of banks, RBI settlement systems, NPCI Aadhaar Payment Bridge), and others are primary components in the implementation of DBT schemes.

DBT Schemes: There are 310 DBT Schemes from 53 Ministries. Some of them are:

• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, National Food Security Mission, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, PM KISAN, Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin, Atal Pension Yojana, and National AYUSH Mission are some important schemes.
• Aadhaar is not required: Aadhaar is not required in DBT schemes. Aadhaar is preferred and beneficiaries are encouraged to have Aadhaar because it provides a unique identity and is useful in targeting the intended beneficiaries.

What are the Advantages of DBT?

Service Coverage Has Been Expanded:

• In a mission-mode approach, it attempted to open bank accounts for all households, expanded Aadhaar to all, and expanded banking and telecom service coverage.
• It established the Aadhaar Payment Bridge to enable instant money transfers from the government to people's bank accounts.
• This method not only enabled all rural and urban households to be uniquely linked under various government schemes for receiving subsidies directly into their bank accounts, but it also enabled them to transfer money with ease.

Financial Assistance:

• In rural Bharat, DBT has enabled the government to provide effective and transparent financial assistance to farmers with lower transaction costs, whether for fertilisers or any of the other schemes.

Transfer of Funds and Social Security:

• The PM Awas Yojana and LPG Pahal schemes in urban India successfully use DBT to transfer funds to eligible beneficiaries. The DBT architecture is used to provide social security through various scholarship programmes and the National Social Assistance Programme.
• DBT under rehabilitation programmes such as the Self Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS) opens new frontiers for social mobility for all segments of society.

What are the Problems with DBT?

Lack of Accessibility:

• One of the most common problems encountered by citizens attempting to enrol is a lack of accessibility/proximity to enrolment points, the absence or erratic availability of officials/operators in charge of enrolment, and so on.

Lack of Facilities:

• Many rural and tribal areas continue to lack banking services and road connectivity. There is also a need for financial literacy, which would raise people's awareness.

Uncertainties:

• Delays in accepting and advancing applications. The required documentation is difficult to obtain, and errors/issues are discovered.

Disruption in the Process:

• When it comes to receiving money in their bank accounts via DBT, one of the most common issues is payment schedule disruptions.
• Disruptions could be caused by spelling mistakes in Aadhaar details, pending KYC, frozen or inactive bank accounts, mismatches in Aadhaar and bank account details, and so on.

Beneficiaries are scarce:

• Various Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes, such as the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan), the Telangana government's Rythu Bandhu, and the YSR Rythu Bharosa of Andhra Pradesh, do not reach tenant farmers, i.e., those who cultivate on leased land.

Way Forward

Systemising Innovation:

• Empowering innovation systems are some of the aspects that will require ongoing attention.
• This would help India meet the diverse needs of its population while also ensuring balanced, equitable, and inclusive growth.

Availability:

• There is an urgent need to improve citizens' access to enrolment points across schemes, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas.

A Body for Everyone:

• A centralised grievance redress cell for all DBT schemes at all tiers — state, district, and block — to assist beneficiaries in resolving issues.

Leasing:

• It can assist both tenant and reverse-tenant farmers in operating consolidated holdings while allowing owners to pursue non-agricultural employment without fear of losing their lands.

Nai Chetna- Pahal Badlav Ki

• The Ministry of Urban Development recently launched "Nai Chetna-Pahal Badlav Ki," a community-led national campaign against gender discrimination.
• The campaign was also launched in Kerala under the auspices of the Kudumbashree Mission.

What is the Nai Chetna-Pahal Badlav Ki Campaign all about?

• It is a four-week campaign aimed at empowering women to recognise and prevent violence, as well as making them aware of their rights.
• The theme of the activities will be 'Gender equality and gender-based violence.'
• Aim: This will be an annual campaign that will focus on a different gender issue each year. This year's campaign focuses on gender-based violence.

Implementing Organization:

• This campaign will be implemented by all states in collaboration with Civil Society Organizations (CSO) partners, and will be actively carried out at all levels, including states, districts, and blocks, with the participation of community institutions as well as the wider community.

Significance:

• The campaign will bring together all line departments and stakeholders to make a concerted effort to recognize, identify, and address violence issues.

About the Kudumbashree Mission:

• It is a poverty eradication and women empowerment program run by the Kerala government's State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM).
• In Malayalam, the name Kudumbashree means 'Family Prosperity.' The name refers to both the 'Kudumbashree Mission' or SPEM and the Kudumbashree Community Network.

What is the purpose of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission?

• It is referred to as the "Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM)."
• It is a government-sponsored program that was launched in June 2011 by the Ministry of Rural Development.
• In FY 2010-11, the government accepted the recommendations of the Prof. Radhakrishna Committee and renamed "The Swarnjayanti Gram SwarozgarYojana (SGSY)" "National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)."
• Aim: To reduce poverty by enabling poor households to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in significant improvements in their livelihoods on a long-term basis, by establishing strong grassroots institutions for the poor.

Sub-Schemes:

The Mahila Kisan Shashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)

• It has been implemented by the Mission to promote agro-ecological practises that increase women farmers' income while lowering input costs and risks

DAY-NRLM is implementing the Start-Up Village Entrepreneurship Programme (SVEP) and the Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY) as part of its non-farm livelihoods strategy (AGEY).

• SVEP seeks to assist rural entrepreneurs in establishing local businesses.
• AGEY was founded in August 2017 with the goal of connecting remote rural villages by providing safe, affordable, and community-monitored rural transportation services.

The Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY):

• The Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDUGKY) aims to develop rural youth placement-related skills and place them in relatively higher-wage employment sectors of the economy.

Rural Self-Employment Institutes (RSETIs):

• The Mission, in collaboration with 31 banks and state governments, is supporting Rural Self Employment Institutes (RSETIs) in their efforts to train rural youth for gainful self-employment.

What are the Most Common Causes of Gender-Based Violence?

• Discriminatory social, cultural, or religious laws, norms, and practises that marginalize women and girls and fail to respect their rights are examples of social/political/cultural factors.
• Gender stereotypes are frequently used to justify violence toward women. Men, according to cultural norms, are aggressive, controlling, and dominant, whereas women are docile, subservient, and rely on men as providers. These norms have the potential to foster a culture of outright abuse.
• The breakdown of family, social, and communal structures, as well as disruptions in family roles, frequently expose women and girls to risk and limit coping mechanisms and avenues for protection and redress.
• Access to justice institutions and mechanisms is limited, resulting in a culture of impunity for violence and abuse.
• Inadequate and reasonably priced legal advice and representation.
• There are insufficient victim/survivor and witness protection mechanisms.
• An inadequate legal framework that discriminates against women and girls, including national, traditional, customary, and religious law.

Individual Obstacles:

• Threat or fear of stigma, isolation, and social exclusion, as well as exposure to additional violence at the hands of the perpetrator, community, or authorities, including arrest, detention, ill-treatment, and punishment
• Lack of knowledge about human rights and where to seek redress.

What Effects Does Violence Against Women Have?

• It has a negative impact on all aspects of women's health, including physical, sexual and reproductive, mental, and behavioural health, preventing them from reaching their full potential.
• Violence and the threat of violence have an impact on women's ability to participate actively and on an equal footing in a variety of social and political relationships.
• Workplace harassment and domestic violence have an impact on women's labor-force participation and economic empowerment.
• Girls' educational opportunities and achievements are hampered by sexual harassment.

What can be done to put an end to gender-based violence?

• Gender Based Violence (GBV) can be eradicated through the combined efforts of society, the government, and individuals.
• One of the most important ways of identifying and assisting victims is to train healthcare providers to recognize and respond to gender-based violence.
• The media plays an important role in making GBV visible, advertising solutions, informing policymakers, and educating the public about legal rights and how to recognize and respond to GBV.

Refugee Policy of India

• Recently, a large number of Kuki-Chin refugees from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tract Area entered Mizoram (India) out of concern that they would be attacked by Bangladeshi security forces.
• The Chin-Kuki-Mizo refugees' plight was taken to heart by the Mizoram government, which also committed to providing temporary shelter, food, and other forms of assistance as it saw fit.

What Leads to This Refugee Overflow?

• The Khagrachari, Rangamati, and Bandarban districts of southeast Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), which borders Mizoram to the east, Tripura to the north, and Myanmar to the south and southeast, cover more than 13,000 square kilometers.
• Tribal people make up a sizeable section of the population and are culturally and ethnically distinct from the Muslim Bangladeshis who make up the majority on the nation's deltaic mainland.
• The tribal people of the CHT share ethnic ties with the tribes in the nearby parts of India, particularly in Mizoram.
• Bangladesh and Mizoram have a 318-kilometer border.
• Approximately 30,000 refugees who have been escaping fighting in Myanmar's Chin state since around July or August 2021 are currently staying in Mizoram.

In India, how are refugees protected?

• India makes ensuring that refugees have access to the same protection services as their fellow Indian hosts.
• Aadhaar cards and PAN cards are available to refugees who have been officially registered by the government, such as those from Sri Lanka. This enables their inclusion in the economy and the financial system.
• They can participate in national welfare programs and make valuable contributions to the Indian economy.
• However, those who have registered with UNHCR, such as refugees from Afghanistan, Myanmar, and other nations, do not have official documents despite having access to limited protection and aid services.
• They are thereby unintentionally left behind because they are unable to open bank accounts and do not benefit from all government support programs.

What is the refugee policy of India?

• Despite the growing number of refugees entering India, there is no explicit legislation to address the issue.
• The main treaties governing refugee protection, the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, do not recognize India as a party.
• However, India has a fantastic track record when it comes to protecting refugees. India has a moral legacy of integrating immigrants' cultures.
• The Foreigners Act of 1946 also ignores the unique issues that refugees as a group face.
• Additionally, it allows the Central government unrestricted authority to remove any foreign national.
• The Indian Constitution also upholds the dignity, freedom, and right to life of all people.
• While these rights are available to citizens, the Supreme Court ruled in National Human Rights Commission v. State of Arunachal Pradesh (1996) that "persons, including foreign nationals, are entitled to the right to equality and the right to life, among others."
• Furthermore, the right against refoulement is covered under Article 21 of the Constitution.
• The concept of non-refoulement in international law argues that someone fleeing persecution in his own country shouldn't be made to return there against his will.

How are refugees faring in India?

Since gaining its independence, India has taken in several different groups of refugees from its neighbors, including:

• Partition Refugees from Pakistan in 1947.
• Tibetian refugees that arrived in 1959.
• Chakma and Hajong from present-day Bangladesh in the early 1960s.
• Other Bangladeshi refugees in 1965 and 1971.
• Sri Lanka Tamil refugees from the 1980s.
• Most recently Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, 2022.

Why has India not yet created a law regarding refugees?

Immigrants vs. Refugees:

• In the recent past, a lot of people from nearby nations have a tendency to immigrate illegally to India—not because the government is persecuting them, but rather because India offers superior economic prospects.
• The two groups frequently get grouped together, despite the fact that the majority of the discussion in the nation focuses on illegal immigrants rather than refugees.

Open Range of the Manoeuvre:

• India has been able to leave its options open on the refugee issue due to the lack of legislation. Any group of refugees may be deemed unlawful immigrants by the authorities.

What is the current legal framework in place to deal with refugees?

• The Central government is authorised to find, arrest, and deport unauthorised foreign people under Section 3 of the Foreigners Act of 1946.
• Article 258(1) of the Indian Constitution allows for the removal of an unlawful foreigner by force, according to Section 5 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.
• All foreign nationals (except Indian citizens living abroad) entering India on a long-term visa (more than 180 days) are required by law to register with a registration officer within 14 days of their arrival. This is in accordance with the Registration of Foreigners Act of 1939.
• 1955's Citizenship Act included provisions for citizenship renunciation, termination, and deprivation.

The distinction between migrants and refugees:

• Refugees are people who have fled their home countries and are in need of international protection because there is a major threat to their life, bodily safety, or freedom there due to persecution, armed conflict, violence, or significant public disorder.
• Migrants depart their home nation in order to work, pursue their education, or start a family.
• Before a person can qualify as a "refugee," there are clear and explicit requirements that must be met.
• There is no universally recognised legal definition of what constitutes a migrant.

Way Forward

• The next step is for an expert committee to rewrite model asylum and refugee rules that were created by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) decades ago but never implemented by the government.
• Enacting such laws would ensure the protection of human rights by giving law sanctity and uniformity.
• If India had domestic refugee legislation, it might have discouraged any tyrannical governments in the area from persecuting their citizens and forcing them to migrate to India.
• Consistent with the Fundamental Duty contained in our Constitution, protection of women and children who are refugees from violence and harassment by local inhabitants and authorities.
• Every citizen is required by Article 51A (e) to disavow actions that are disrespectful to women's dignity.