PM Modi’s Version Of DOGE Since 2014 Could Have Saved Rs 5 Lakh Crore
In his recent podcast with Lex Fridman, the prime minister had said he proceeded on a DOGE-like model as soon as he came to power by eliminating fake, non-existent beneficiaries of various schemes
The Indian version of DOGE implemented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014 could have saved nearly Rs 5 lakh crore so far, government officials say. This was done by eliminating fake, non-existent beneficiaries of various schemes.
PM Modi had hinted towards this in his recent podcast with Lex Fridman, saying he proceeded on a DOGE-like model as soon as he came to power.
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“After I took office in 2014, I observed that back then, we weren’t part of many global discussions, not like how President Trump and DOGE are being talked about today. But let me give you an example so you can see the kind of work that was done. I noticed that the benefits of certain government schemes, especially welfare programmes, were being exploited by so many people who never even existed in real life," Modi told Fridman.
Sample this: Official government figures say that by March 2022, the government’s model through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) had saved nearly Rs 2.84 lakh crore. By March 2023, the figure rose to Rs 3.48 lakh crore as nearly Rs 64,000 crore are being saved each year now.
“By that estimate, the total cumulative savings till date could be as high as Rs 5 lakh crore," a senior government official told CNN-NEWS18. The DBT model involved Aadhaar-based bank transfers to eliminate middlemen and ensure money reaches beneficiaries directly, except the fake ones.
Here are details of the savings made:
1. Rs 73,443 crore saved by elimination of 4.15 crore duplicate, fake, non-existent, inactive LPG connections. In addition, number of non-subsidised LPG consumers is 2.45 crore. The aforesaid numbers (4.15 crore + 2.45 crore) include 1.13 crore ‘Give-it-Up’ consumers.
2. Rs 1.85 lakh crore saved by deletion of 5 crore duplicate and fake, non-existent ration cards.
3. Rs 42,534 crore saved by deletion of 7.10 lakh fake job cards in MGNREGA in 2022-23.
4. Rs 537 crore saved by deletion of 11.05 lakh duplicate, fake/ non-existent, ineligible beneficiaries of National Scholarship Assistance Programme (NSAP).
5. Deletion of 30.92 lakh duplicate, fake/ non-existent beneficiaries in minority scholarship scheme led to saving of Rs 1,916 crore.
6. Deletion of 12.28 lakh duplicate, fake/non-existent beneficiaries in scholarship scheme of Social Justice and Environment led to saving of Rs 1,054 crore.
7. Reduction of 98.8 lakh duplicate, fake/non-existent beneficiaries in schemes of Ministry of Women and Child Development led to saving of Rs 1,523 crore.
8. Reduction of 158.06 Lakh Metric Tonnes of fertilizer sale to retailers led to saving of Rs 18,699 crore.
9. Deletion of two crore ineligible beneficiaries in PM-Kisan scheme led to saving of Rs 22,106 crore.
10. Savings in various other schemes to the tune of Rs 1,175 crore.
What Modi told Fridman
PM Modi said Donald Trump was excited about how his DOGE mission was progressing. “It makes me happy too because when I took office in 2014, I wanted to free my country from the deep-rooted issues and harmful practices that have crept in, and I’ll continue striving to eliminate as many of them as I possibly can," Modi said.
Modi said he had discovered in India after coming to power in 2014 that there were ghost names and pensions being issued to fake people. “Widow pensions were being granted even before marriages took place, and disability pensions were given without any real disabilities. Then I launched a scrutiny process, and you’ll be shocked to know what we found. A hundred million people, a hundred million people, that’s a hundred million fake or duplicate names that I removed from the system. And because of that, we saved massive amount of money," he said.
“Then I introduced direct benefit transfer, ensuring that every rupee sent from Delhi reached the rightful person without leakage. As a result, my country saved nearly three trillion rupees that would have otherwise ended up in the wrong hands. Just because of direct benefit transfer through technology, we eliminated middlemen, ensuring transparency in the system," Modi said.
The prime minister said when bold changes happen, just like DOGE’s mission, they become a topic of discussion worldwide.
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