Cash transfer scheme: PM to hold meeting tomorrow

With only a fortnight left for rollout of the ambitious Direct Cash Transfer programme, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold a meeting with ministers concerned tomorrow to review its preparations.

The meeting of the National Committee on Direct Cash Transfer, chaired by Singh, will be briefed about the state of preparations by Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, sources said.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) directive to ministries concerned to take up on "war footing" the implementation of the scheme which is to be rolled out on January 1.

The sources said 35 districts would be covered on January one and rest of the 51 districts identified will be covered by January 10. The PMO has also asked them to organise camps to fast pace enrolment under Aadhaar for the purpose.

Primary activity of all the ministries implementing the scheme in the coming weeks will be to complete enrolment of Aadhaar for all beneficiaries. They also have to ensure the beneficiaries have bank accounts in which Aadhaar numbers will also be mentioned, besides compilation of beneficiary databases.

The Planning Commission has been asked to finalise dates for a one-day meeting of the Collectors of the districts concerned (excluding Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh) between December 10-15.