Services Tax

NITI AAYOG

PRACTICE QUESTIONS ABOUT "NITI AAYOG"

1. Think - tank of Government of India that replaces Planning Commission of India is...

1) NITI Vakya

2) NITI Vajpayee

3) NITI Prasasthi

4) NITI Dharma

5) NITI Aayog

2. NITI Aayog stands for......

1) National Institution for Transition India

2) National Information for Transforming India

3) National Institution for Take India

4) National Institution for Transforming India

5) None

3. NITI Aayog come into effect from....

1) 1 April 2015

2) 1 April 2016

3) 1 March 2015

4) 1 January 2015

5) 25 Dec 2014

4. The NITI Aayog headed by....

1) President of India

2) Finance Minister

3) Minister for Planning

4) RBI Governor

5) Prime Minister

5. To reflect changes required in India's governance structures and provide a more active role for the state governments in achieving national objectives, NITI Aayog initiated. Its Vice Chairman appointed by .....

1) President of India

2) Vice President of India

3) Finance Minister

4) Home Minister

5) Prime Minister

6. Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog is...

1) Montek Singh Ahluwalia

2) Arvind Panagariya

3) Abhijith Sen

4) Amartya Sen

5) None

7. NITI Aayog has been tasked with a role of formulating policies and direction for the government and serving as a think-tank, which will have Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Present CEO is....

1) Arvind Mayaram

2) Rajiv Meharshi

3) Sudha Pillai

4) Sindhushree Khullar

5) None

8. NITI Aayog will have full time members. It will have how many part time members selected from leading universities research organizations and other relevant institutions in an exofficio capacity?

1) 4

2) 6

3) 8

4) 2

5) None

9. An Economist Bibek Debroy and V.K.Saraswat were appointed as full-time members of NITI Aayog. Who is V.K.Saraswat ?

1) former DRDO Chief

2) former ISRO Chairman

3) former Finance Secretary

4) former Defence Minister

5) None of above

10. Maximum of how many Ex-officio members selected from the Union Council of Ministers to be nominated by the Prime Minister in NITI Ayog?

1) 12

2) 7

3) 4

4) 10

5) None

11. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu and ........... were made ex-officio members of NITI ayog.

1) Tribal Affaris Minister Jula Oram

2) Rural Development Minister Chaudary Birender Singh

3) Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh

4) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj

5) None

12. Roads and National Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani and ...... were made Special invitees to the NITI Aayog?

1) Law and Justice Minister D. V. Sadananda Gowda

2) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

3) Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot

4) Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu

5) None

13. Planning Commission was the centre-tostate one-way flow of policy, where as NITI Ayog is a genuine and continuing partnership of states. NITI Ayog depends on how many pillars of Effective governance?

1) 7

2) 5

3) 10

4) 8

5) 12

14. NITI Ayog will have .......... comprising the Chief Ministers of all the States and Lt. Governors of Union Territories.

1) Presidium

2) Co-ordination committee

3) General Committee

4) Governing Council

5) Administrative Council

15. Regional Councils will be formed to address specific issues and contingencies impacting more than one state or a region. They are headed by......

1) Governor of the state or Finance Minister of India

2) Chief Minister

3) Chairperson of the NITI Aayog or his nominee

4) President of India and Governor of state

5) None of above

ANSWERS:

1-5, 2-4, 3-4, 4-5, 5-5, 6-2, 7-4, 8-2, 9-1, 10-3

11-3, 12-3, 13-1, 14-4, 15-3

ANDHRA PRADESH ECONOMIC DATA

Economy Snippets

NABARD was established under recommendations of	Shivaraman Committee
The chairman of Fourteenth Finance Commission	Y.V. Reddy
Banks of India were nationalised for the first time in the year	1969
The main aim of devaluation is to	Encourage exports
What is the tertiary sector of economic development	Service Sector?
Which state of India has highest Per capita income	Goa
RBI was nationalised in the year	1935
National Agriculture Insurance Scheme was introduced in	1999
Short term finance is usually for a period of	12 months
Who is the regulator of Insurance sector in India	IRDA
Who is the Census Commissioner for Census 2011?	C. Chandramouli
The main rubber producing state in the country is	Kerala
The largest producer of Coffee in the country is	Karnataka
At present, the number of nationalised banks in the country	19
Project SANKALP is associated with the elimination of	AIDS
The central banking functions in India are performed by the	Reserve Bank of India
Development expenditure of the Central government does not include	Defence expenditure
Gilt-edged market means	Market of Government Securities
Loss of equipment over time due to wear and tear is called as	Depreciation
The association of the rupee with Pound Sterling as the intervention currency was broken in	1992
On July 12, 1982, the ARDC was merged into	NABARD
If the Cash Reserve Ratio is lowered by the RBI, its impact on credit creation will be to	Increase it
In the state of India, the State Financial Corporation have given assistance mainly to develop	Small and medium scale industries
States earn maximum revenue through	Commercial Taxes
The first Indian private company to sign an accord with Government of Myanmar for oil exploration in two offshore blocks in that country is	Essar Oil
The condition of indirect taxes in the country's revenue is approximately	86%
The Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) came into existence in	1987
Of the gross tax revenue of the Union Government the indirect taxes account for nearly	65 percent
The banks are required to maintain a certain ratio between their cash in the hand and total assets. This is called as	Statutory Liquid Ratio (SLR)
How many banks were nationalized in 1969?	14
In India, the first bank of limited liability manages by Indians and founded in 1881 was	Oudh Commercial Bank
The apex body for formulating plans and coordinating research work in agriculture and allied fields is	Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Short-term finance is usually for a period ranging up to	One year
Paper currency first started in India in	1861
Foreign Direct Investment ceilings in the telecom sector have been raised from 74 percent to	100%
The largest sponge iron producer in the world is	India
National Rural Development Institute is situated at	Hyderabad
The bank which has the highest number of branches in the world is	SBI
The Mumbai Stock Exchange was set up in	1875
Rangarajan Committee is related to	Public Sector disinvestment
Raja Chellaiah Committee is related to	Tax Reforms
Malhotra Committee is related to	Insurance Sector Reforms
Narasimham Committee is related to	Financial Sector Reforms
The principle means of transport of goods in India is	Railways
India's place in the World Production of Sugar and Sugarcane is	First
State with Highest Production of Wheat (2011-12) is	Uttar Pradesh
State with Highest Production of Rice (2011-12) is	West Bengal
State with Highest Production of Pulses (2011-12) is	Madhya Pradesh
State with Highest Production of Total Food Grains (2011-12) is	Uttar Pradesh
State with Highest Production of total Oil Seeds (2011-12) is	State with Highest Production of total Oil Seeds (2011-12) is
The policy of Family Planning was adopted by the government in	1952
Bank Rate means	The official rate of interest charged by the central bank of the country
The term MARKET in economics means	Presence of competition
Commercial banking system in India is	Branch banking
Demand of commodity mainly depends on	Power to purchase
CMD of Bharatiya Mahila Bank is	Usha Ananthasubramanian
Mr. Cyrus Pallonji Mistry took over as the chairman of which industrial group recently?	Tata Group

CENSUS 2011 FINAL STSTISTICS

POVERTY ESTIMATES FOR 2011-12

SIXTH ECONOMIC CENSUS

The Sixth Economic Census (EC) is scheduled to be conducted during Oct, 2012- June,13 in all the States and Union Territories of the country in collaboration with States/UT Governments.
The Sixth EC proposes to provide up to date information on number of establishments and number of persons employed therein, activity wise, of all the sectors (excluding crop production, plantation, public administration, defense and compulsory social security) of the country including its distribution at all-India, State, district, and at village/ward levels for comprehensive analysis of the structure of the economy (macro, micro, regional Levels).
Scope and coverage of economic census
The Sixth Economic Census is being conducted in all the States/UTs. All economic activities (agricultural and non-agricultural), except those involved in crop production and plantation, public administration, defense and compulsory social security, related to production and/or distribution of goods and/or services other than for the sole purpose of own consumption were covered.
However, as were done in earlier censuses, the following activities are being kept out of the purview of the Sixth Economic Census:
(i) Establishments of shelter-less and nomadic population, which keep on moving from place to place and camp either without shelter or with makeshift shelter.(ii) Establishments engaged in some activities like smuggling, gambling,   beggary, prostitution, etc.(iii) Domestic servants, whether they work in one household or in a number of households, drivers, etc. who undertake jobs for others on wages.(iv) All wage-paid employees of casual nature.(v) Household members engaged in household chores.(vi) Persons doing different types of jobs depending on the availability of work e.g. loading, unloading, helping a mason or a carpenter, doing earthwork for a contractor.(vii) Household members working for other households and earning some money which is insignificant.(viii) Households in which none of the members is engaged in any gainful activity i.e. households depending on remittance, rent, interest, pension etc.
Main objectives of the Sixth Economic Census are as under:
a) To provide detailed information on operational and economic variables, activity wise, of all the establishments(excluding crop production, plantation, public administration, defence and compulsory social security)  of the country including its distribution at all-India, State, district, and village/ward levels for comprehensive analysis of the structure of the economy (macro, micro, regional Levels) and for benchmark purposes;b) To provide similar data at lower geographical levels like tehsils /villages in case of rural areas and wards in case of urban areas for decentralized planning required under 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments;c) To generate information on number of exporting establishments, employing 10 or more workers,  activity wise and area wise in operation;d) To provide information on number of workers working in establishments, activity wise and area wise in operation;e) To provide information on number of workers working in unorganised sector (i.e. establishments employing less than ten workers);f) To provide updated Directory of Establishments employing 10 or more workers for local level planning purposes; andg) To provide an up to date frame (list) from which samples could be drawn for collecting detailed information.
The activities being covered in the Sixth Economic Census have a share of about 86 % in total GDP of the country.

Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011

For the success of any targeted approach, the identification of the real beneficiaries is of paramount importance. Thus the Central Government has decided to conduct a Socio Economic and Caste Survey of the national population in the year 2011. The Socio Economic and Caste Census would be carried out by the respective State Government with the financial and technical support of the Government of India. It was launched on 29th June 2011 in Hazemora Block in West Tripura.

The SECC, 2011 has the following three objectives:

1. To enable households to be ranked based on their socioeconomic status. State Governments can then prepare a list of families living below the poverty line.
2. To make available authentic information that will enable caste-wise population enumeration of the country.
3. To make available authentic information regarding the socioeconomic condition, and education status of various castes and sections of the population.

The SECC, 2011 will be conducted through a comprehensive programme involving the Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India and the State Governments. 

The process is as follows:

• Each Collector/District Magistrate will formulate a District/ Town Plan and a Communication Plan.
• 24 lakh Enumeration Blocks (EB) will be used for the SECC, 2011- each Enumeration Block has roughly 125 households. These are the same Enumeration Blocks that were formed during the Census 2011. The enumerators will be provided copies of the layout maps and Abridged House List prepared during Census 2011. This will ensure complete coverage of the area.
• Enumerators will be trained to conduct the SECC, 2011.
• Each Enumerator will be assigned 4 Enumeration Blocks, and every 6 Enumerators will be assigned to one Supervisor.
• Enumerators will visit every household identified in the Enumeration Block and canvas the questionnaire. They will also reach out to homeless populations (eg. people living in railway stations, roadsides etc.
• A data entry operator will accompany each Enumerator.
• The data will be captured directly on an electronic handheld device (a tablet PC). The hand held device will have the scanned images of the forms filled up for National Population Register (NPR). This will also ensure complete and accurate coverage.
• The information (held in the tablet PC) will be read out to the respondent, who will verify it. A printed acknowledgement slip, signed by the Enumerator and Data Entry Operator will be given to the respondent.
• Collected data will be verified in the Panchayat.
• After all the information is collected from an Enumeration Block, a draft publication list will be prepared for verification.
• Within a week of publication of the draft list, the list will be read out at the Gram Sabha in all rural areas.
• Any person can file claims/objections and information furnished before designated officers for this purpose. The draft list will be made available at the Gram Panchayat, Block Development\Office, Charge Centre and District Collector’s Offices.
• The list will also be uploaded on the NIC/State Government/ MoRD/MoHUPA websites.

This exercise will help better target government schemes to the right beneficiaries and ensure that all eligible beneficiaries are covered, while all ineligible beneficiaries are excluded. 

Enumeration under SECC 2011 has been completed in 2,339,926 enumeration blocks (EBs) comprising 94.26 per cent of the total EBs of all the states as on 31 December 2012. The government has constituted an Expert Committee under the chairpersonship of Professor Abhijit Sen, Member Planning Commission, to examine the SECC indicators and the data analysis and recommend appropriate methodologies for determining classes of beneficiaries for different rural development programmes. It will consult states, experts, and civil society organizations while arriving at these methodologies.

AP SOCIO ECONOMIC SURVEY 2012-13

  

BUDGET 2013-14 PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1)Pavan Kumar Bansal represents, which of the following Constituencies?
1. Amritsar 
2. Ahmedabad 
3. Chandigarh 
4. Sangrur

2)Which of the following state has been bought into the railway net work for the first time?   
1. Manipur 
2. Assam
3. Tripura 
4. Arunachal Pradesh

3)A8ording to Railway Budget Freight earning to go by?
1. 7% 
2. 8%
3. 9% 
4. 10%

4)Which of the following is true?
1. Steep increase in input costs have been met with hike in Freight rates
2. Indian Railways is aware of the problems of the IRCTC website, and will create a next generation e-ticketing system by end of this year, Bansal said.
3. Aadhar can be helpful for Railways in much respect, from booking tickets to tracking pension of rail employees.
4. All the above

5)Railway Minister has said that a special luxury coach, with the best of ameneties, will run, in selected trains and named it as?
1. Anubhuti 
2. Safety
3. Vikas 
4. Samardh

6)The amount allocated by Planning commi-ssion (budgetary support to Railways)?
1. 3.19 lakhs 
2. 4.19 lakhs
3. 5.19 lakhs 
4. 6.19 lakhs

7)Which of the following is true about Indian Railways?
1. Railways were first introduced to India in 1853 from Bombay to Thane.
2. In 1951 the systems were nationalized as one unit, the Indian Railways
3. Indian Railways is the worlds ninth largest commercial or utility employer
4. All the above

8)The Rail Neer Bottling plants would be set up in
1. Vijayawada, Mumbai, Lalitput, Bilaspur, Patna, Ahmedabad
2. Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Vijayawada, Nagpur, Lalitpur, Bilaspur
3. Bilaspur, Vijayawada, Kolkata, Nanded, Lalitpur, Jaipur
4. Nanded, Kolkata, Vijayawada, Ludhiana, Lalitpur, Jaipur

9)Which of the following is/are true as per new Railway budget?
1. Year hike of 5% of charges proposed for 10 years
2. In future, ticket charge may be indexed to fuel price
3. Train protection warning in automatic systems will be introduced
4. All the above

10)How much percentage of RPF vacancies reserved for women?    
1. 10% 
2. 15% 
3. 20% 
4. 25%

11)Which of the following is true about recent General Budget 2013-14?
1. The total expenditure for 2013-14 is the Rs 16, 65, 297
2. The plan expenditure is the Rs 5, 55, 322 crore
3. Non-plan expenditure Rs 11, 09, 975crore
4. All the above

12)Which of the following is true?
1. Chidambaram presented the his eighth Annual budget in Parliament, second highest by any other in the country
2. It was 82nd Budget, which includes interim and special-situation budgetary proposals
3. Former Prime Minister Morarji Desai presented budget for 10 times.
4. All the above

13)How much is allocated for Nirbhaya fund?
1. Rs 800 crore 
2. Rs 900 crore 
3. Rs 1000 crore 
4. Rs 1100 crore

14)How many private radio FM stations will be covered in this financial year?
1. 289 
2. 290 
3. 291 
4. 292

15)The first Independent India’s budget was presented by? 
1. Morarji Desai 
2. Shankumham chetty 
3. Deshmukh 
4. Nehru

16)Income limit for tax saving Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings scheme is raised to Rs 12 lakh from?
1. Rs 8 lakh 
2. Rs 9 lakh
3. Rs 10 lakh 
4. Rs 11 lakh

17)Which of the following is true?
1. Rs 532 crore to make post offices part of core banking
2. Proposal to launch inflation indexed bonds or inflation indexed national security certificates to protect savings from inflation
3. India’s first women’s bank as a PSU proposed, Rs 1000 crore working capital announced
4. All the above

18)How much amount is allocated for Drinking water and Sanitation?
1. Rs 80, 194 crore 
2. Rs 81, 194 crore
3. Rs 82, 194 crore 
4. Rs 83, 195 crore

19)In which of the following place an Institute for agricultural Bioteechnology will be set up?
1. Patiala 
2. Ahmedabad
3. Ranchi 
4. Patna

20)As per Economic Survey the India’s economy expected to grow between 6.1% to
1. 6.5% 
2. 6.6% 
3. 6.7% 
4. 6.8%

21)Inflation expected to fall between 6.2% and by March?
1. 6.6% 
2. 6.7% 
3. 6.8% 
4. 6.9%

22)As per survey report, which of the following sector amounted for the largest share?
1. Health 
2. Sports
3. Education 
4. Employment

23)A8ording to survey, the food inflation mainly driven by
1. Cereal Prices 
2. Subsidies 
3. Oil 
4. None of these

24)As per Economic Survey, which of the following is true about Indian Tourism?
1. The Indian tourism sector needs an urgent image makeover and higher investment in infrastructure, including through Public-Private Partnership
2. Global tourist arrivals are expected to increase by 43 million every year on an average from 2010 to 2030.
1. Only 1 correct 
2. Only 2 correct
3. Both correct 
4. Both wrong

25)Which of the following is true as per Economic survey, tabled in the parliament?
1. As per 12th Five Year Plan approach paper, Indias travel and tourism sector is estimated to create 78 jobs per million rupees of investment compared to 45 jobs per million rupees in the manufacturing sector
2. As per Tourism Satellite A8ount (TSA) data 2009-10, the contribution of tourism to Indias GDP was 6.8 per cent (3.7 per cent direct and 3.1 per cent indirect) and its contribution to total employment generation was 10.2 percent
3. At present Indian Tourism has a paltry share of 0.64 per cent in world tourist arrivals
4. All the above

26)Who among the following is the Chief advisor to the Finance Minister?
1. Rangarajan 
2. Raghuram Rajan
3. Kaushik Basu 
4. Shome

27) The Economic Survey says that the Fiscal Deficit in Financial Year 2013, to be contained at? 
1. 5.1% 
2. 5.2% 
3. 5.3% 
4. 5.4%

28)Fiscal Consolidation road map says that deficit at 3% by Financial year?    
1. 2014 
2. 2015 
3. 2016 
4. 2017

ANSWERS:

1) 3 2) 4 3) 3 4) 4 5) 1 6) 3 7) 4 8) 2 9) 4 10) 1 11) 4 12) 4 13) 3  14) 1 15) 2 16) 3 17) 4 18) 1 19) 3 20) 3  21) 1 22) 3 23) 1  24) 3 25) 4 26) 2 27) 3 28) 4

SUMMARY OF ECONOMIC SURVEY 2012-13

Indian economy is likely to grow between 6.1% to 6.7%  in 2013-14 as the downturn is more or less over and the economy is looking up. Following the slowdown induced by the global financial crisis in 2008-09, the Indian economy responded strongly to fiscal and monetary stimulus and achieved a growth rate of 8.6 per cent and 9.3 per cent respectively in 2009-10 and 2010-11, but due to a combination of both external and domestic factors, the economy decelerated growing at 6.2% and an estimated 5% in 2011-12 and 2012-13 respectively. The Economic Survey 2012-13, presented by the Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram in the Lok Sabha predicts that the global economy is also likely to recover in 2013 and various government measures will help in improving the Indian economy’s outlook for 2013-14. While India’s recent slowdown is partly rooted in external causes, domestic causes are also important. The slowdown in the rate of growth of services in 2011-12 at 8.2%, and particularly in 2012-13 to 6.6 percent from the double-digit growth of the previous six years, contributed significantly to slowdown in the overall growth of the economy, while some slowdown could also be attributed to the lower growth in agriculture and industrial activities. But despite the slowdown, the services sector has shown more resilience to worsening external conditions than agriculture and industry. For improved agricultural growth, the survey underlines the need for stable and consistent policies where markets play an appropriate role, private investment in infrastructure is stepped up, food price, food stock management and food distribution improves, and a predictable trade policy is adopted for agriculture. FDI in retail allowed by the government can pave the way for investment in new technology and marketing of agricultural produce in India. Fast agricultural growth remains vital for jobs, incomes and food security.

The survey points out that the priority for the Government will be to fight high inflation by reducing the fiscal impetus to demand as well as by focusing on incentivizing food production through measures other than price supports. But unlike the previous year, when food inflation was mainly driven by higher protein food prices, this year the pressure has been coming mainly from cereals. On the Balance of Payments and External Position, the survey highlights that with net exports declining, India’s balance of payments has come under pressure. Moreover, in the current fiscal, foreign exchange reserves have fluctuated between US$ 286 billion and US$ 295.6 billion, while the rupee remained volatile in the range of Rs 53.02 to Rs 54.78 per US dollar during October 2012 to January 2013.

The survey had a special chapter focusing on jobs. The future holds promise for India provided we can seize the “demographic dividend” as nearly half the additions to the Indian labour force over the period 2011-30 will be in the age group 30-49. India is creating jobs in industry but mainly in low productivity construction and not enough formal jobs in manufacturing, which typically are higher productivity. The high productivity service sector is also not creating enough jobs. As the number of people looking for jobs rises, both because of the population dividend and because share of agriculture shrinks, these vulnerabilities will become important. Because good jobs are both the pathway to growth as well as the best form of inclusion, India has to think of ways of enabling their creation.

The survey calls for a widening of the tax base, and prioritization of expenditure as key ingredients of a credible medium term fiscal consolidation plan. This along with demand compression and augmented agricultural production should lead to lower inflation, giving the RBI the requisite flexibility to reduce policy rates. Lower interest rates could provide an additional fillip to investment activity for the industry and services sectors, especially if some of the regulatory, bureaucratic, and financial impediments to investment are eased. On financial sector reform, it takes note of the high level of gross NPAs (non-performing assets) of the banking sector which increased from 2.36 percent of the total credit advanced in March 2011 to 3.57 percent of total credit advanced in September 2012. The survey suggests that revival of growth will help contain NPAs, but more attention will have to be paid to whether projects are adequately capitalized up front given the risks. Expenditure on social services also increased considerably in the 12^th Plan, with the education sector accounting for the largest share, followed by health. In the 11^th Plan period nearly 7 lakh crore rupees has been spent on the 15 major flagshipprogrammes. A number of legislative steps have also been taken to secure the rights of people, like the RTI, MGNREGA, the Forest Rights Act, AND THE Right to Education. However, the survey notes that there are pressing governance issues like programme leakages and funds not reaching the targeted beneficiaries that need to be addressed. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) with the help of the Unique Identification Number (Aadhaar) can help plug some of these leakages. With the 12^thPlan’s focus on ‘environmental sustainability’, India is on the right track. However, the challenge for India is to make the key drivers and enablers of growth-be it infrastructure, the transportation sector, housing, or sustainable agriculture-grow sustainably.                

            Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan, Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance writes in an introduction to the Survey that these are difficult times, but India has navigated such times before, and with good policies it will come through stronger. Slowdown is a wake-up call for increasing the pace of actions and reforms. The way out lies in shifting national spending from consumption to investment, removing the bottlenecks to investment, growth, and job creation, in part through structural reforms, combating inflation both through monetary and supply side measures, reducing the costs for borrowers of raising finances and increasing the opportunities for savers to get strong real investment returns.

PM constitutes National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers

The Prime Minister has constituted a coordination committee called the National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers, as a mechanism to coordinate action for the introduction of direct cash transfers to individuals under the various government schemes and programmes.

            The National Committee chaired by the Prime Minister will have as its members eleven Cabinet Ministers, two Ministers of State with independent charge, the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, the Chairman UIDAI, the Cabinet Secretary with the Principal Secretary to the PM as the convenor. The Prime Minister may invite any other Minister/Officer/Expert to any meeting of the Committee.

The National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers would engage in the following tasks:

a) Provide an overarching vision and direction to enable direct cash transfers of benefits under various government schemes and programmes to individuals, leveraging the investments being made in the Aadhaar Project, financial inclusion and other initiatives of the Government, with the objective of enhancing efficiency, transparency and accountability.

b) Determine broad policy objectives and strategies for direct cash transfers.

c) Identify Government programmes and schemes for which direct cash transfers to individuals can be adopted and suggest the extent and scope of direct cash transfers in each case.

d) Coordinate the activities of various Ministries/ Departments/ Agencies involved in enabling direct cash transfers and ensure timely, coordinated action to ensure speedy rollout of direct cash transfers across the country.

e) Specify timelines for the rollout of direct cash transfers.

f) Review the progress of implementation of direct cash transfers and provide guidance for mid-course corrections.

g) Any other related matter.

 The National Committee on Cash Transfers will be assisted by an Executive Committee on Direct Cash Transfers chaired by the Principal Secretary to PM and the Secretaries of the concerned Ministries and the DG UIDAI. The Secretary Planning Commission will be the convenor.

The Executive Committee on Direct Cash Transfers would engage in the following tasks:

a) Identify and propose for the consideration of the National Committee on Cash Transfers such Government programmes and schemes for which direct cash transfers to individuals can be adopted and suggest the extent and scope of direct cash transfers in each case.

b) Ensure the preparation of and approve strategies and action plans for the speedy rollout of direct cash transfers in areas agreed to and in line with the timelines laid down by the National Committee on Cash Transfers.

c) Coordinate the activities of various Ministries/ Departments / Agencies involved in enabling direct cash transfers to ensure that the architecture and framework for direct cash transfers is in place for rolling out direct cash transfers across the country.

d) Review and monitor the rollout of direct cash transfers and undertake mid-course corrections as and when necessary.

e) Any other related matter entrusted by the National Committee on Cash Transfers or relating to direct cash transfers.

            The Chairman may invite any other Officer/Expert to any meeting of the Executive Committee as may be necessary. The National Committee and the Executive Committee would be serviced by the Planning Commission, which may obtain assistance as required from any Ministry/Department/Agency of the Government in this task. The Planning Commission will designate an officer of the rank of Joint Secretary in the Planning Commission to coordinate and service the work of the National Committee and Executive Committee.

            In order to finalise the operational and implementation details relating to the design and implementation of the direct cash transfer system, and for ensuring a smooth roll-out of direct cash transfers in an orderly and timely fashion, Mission Mode Committees will be constituted.

These will be:

a) Technology Committee to focus on the  technology,  payment architecture and IT issues.

b) Financial Inclusion Committee to focus on ensuring universal access to banking and ensuring complete financial inclusion.

c) Implementation Committees on Electronic Transfer of Benefits at the Ministry/ Department level to work out the details of cash transfers for each department such as data bases, direct cash transfer rules and control and audit mechanisms.

The notifications for these three committees will be issued in due course.

The composition of the National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers is as follows:

1.      Prime Minister                                              -        Chairperson

2.      Finance Minister

3.      Minister of Communications & IT

4.      Minister of Rural Development

5.      Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment

6.      Minister of Human Resource Development

7.      Minister of Tribal Affairs

8.      Minister of Minority Affairs

9.      Minister of Health & Family Welfare

10.    Minister of Labour & Employment

11.    Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas

12.    Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers

13.    Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission

14.    Minister of State (i/c) of Food & Public Distribution

15.    Minister of State (i/c) of Women & Child Development

16.    Chairman, UIDAI

17.    Cabinet Secretary

18.    Principal Secretary to PM                                -        Convenor