Determinants of the Success of Public Service Delivery Under Direct Benefit Transfer: The Case of Chandigarh
| Published date | 01 January 2016 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120160103 |
| Date | 01 January 2016 |
| Author | Yudhishthira Sapru |
| Subject Matter | Article |
DETERMINANTS
OF
THE
SUCCESS
OF
PUBLIC
SERVICE DELIVERY UNDER DIRECT BENEFIT
TRANSFER:
THE
CASE
OF
CHANDIGARH
YUDIDSHTHIRASAPRU
Direct Bene.fit ·Transfer (DBT) is a relatively new concept
in
India. The service delivery mechanism under
DBT
has
received a mixed response. There arises a need to ascertain
as
to
which factors are important
for
making public service
delivery
DBT
successful. A research consisting
of
both
exploratory and descriptive phases was undertaken to identify
factors differentiating among satisfactory and unsatisfactory
beneficiaries
of
social pensions in Chandigarh. Data collected
from 125 respondents was
analysed
using
a step-wise
Discriminant Analysis method. The study has highlighted
certain crucial points which the policy makers need to keep
in
mind while designing a DBT-based benefit transfer system.
These are long queues
at
the time
of
disbursement, ease
of
biometric usage,
and
advance information on pension
disbursement. The .findings could be used by other States
and
UTs
undertaking similar
DBT
initiatives
for
creating an
effective public service delivery mechanism.
'SOCIAL CASH transfer'
of
late has received wide recognition in the
context
of
economic vulnerability
of
a developing economy like India. Social
cash transfer is a non-contributory payment
of
money
by
the government or
non-governmental organisations to individuals or households for the purpose
of
reducing their chronic
or
shock-induced poverty thereby addressing
their social and economic vulnerability. This transfer can be universal or
explicitly targeted to those identified as poor
or
vulnerable (Samson, 2009).
When this cash transfer is directly paid to the end beneficiary (in hand or in
bank account
of
the end beneficiary), this payment is referred to as 'direct
cash transfer'.
In India, social cash transfers had traditionally been paid to the poor
through government channels
but
the system was largely fraught with
inefficiency and corrupt practices, resulting in leakages which meant that
the payment rarely reached the end beneficiary. Former Indian Prime
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