The government finally launched its big ticket direct benefit transfer scheme today where cash will be transferred directly into the back accounts of beneficiaries for a series of welfare schemes. The rollout today, however, was highly scaled down - 20 districts instead of the initially proposed 51. The government which has been accused of hurrying up the project for political gain has admitted there are glitches but they believe in the long term the scheme will drastically cut down on leaks and middlemen. But how prepared is the infrastructure on the ground?
