Direct Benefit Transfer has improved targeting but not eliminated delays in welfare scheme implementation. Discuss with reference to SC scholarship schemes.

Article 46 makes the educational promotion of Scheduled Castes a constitutional duty, discharged mainly through the Pre-Matric and Post-Matric (PMS-SC) scholarship schemes. Their shift to Aadhaar-seeded Direct Benefit Transfer from 2021-22 [3] has sharpened who receives aid, but when it arrives remains contested.

How DBT has improved targeting

• The earlier reimbursement-to-institution route was replaced by transfers into Aadhaar-seeded student accounts, squeezing out duplicate and ghost claims [3].
• An online platform with social audits, annual third-party evaluation and half-yearly institutional audits was built into the 2021 revamp, aiding traceability [3].
• Sharper eligibility filters — a parental income ceiling of Rs 2.5 lakh per annum for the Pre-Matric scheme — direct aid to the poorest SC households [4].
• Scale confirms reach: 48,04,208 SC beneficiaries in 2024-25 with central assistance of Rs 5,562.23 crore, and central releases rising from Rs 1,930.38 crore (2021-22) to Rs 6,186.96 crore (2025-26) [1].

Why delays persist

• Funding is 60:40 Centre-State (90:10 for North-Eastern States), and the Central share is released only after the State verifies applications and disburses its own share [2]. One laggard State stalls the entire chain.
• DBT fixes the payment rail, not the upstream stages — application verification, institutional certification and State budgeting — where most time is lost.
• Last-mile friction — un-seeded or dormant accounts, name mismatches and pending e-KYC — pushes credits into later academic terms.
• Recurring Parliament questions on State-wise disbursal, including Himachal Pradesh, show timeliness is still a live grievance [1].
• Legacy arrears from the pre-2021 "committed liability" model continue to burden several States [3].

DBT has thus converted a leakage problem into a coordination problem. A fixed disbursal calendar, real-time public dashboards on State-share release, and pre-funding through revolving accounts, backed by the scheme's own third-party evaluation, can close the gap — making Article 46's promise not merely accurate but punctual.