The government of India will start giving cash directly to its poorest citizens in early 2013. The programme will reach up to 720 million people and is core to a government drive to reduce corruption in the provision of subsidised goods and welfare benefits. The programme will work through a system called ‘Aadhaar,’ a biometric identification that is being rolled out to all Indians. It will be open to families who live below or just above the government-set poverty line. Payments will be in the region of up to 40,000 rupees ($720) a year to each household. These payments willtake the place of funding the government spends on goods such as food, fuel and fertilizer.
The programme will be launched in January, covering 18 states by April and the whole country by the end of 2013.
To read the full article on the JustMeans website click here.