[Examine the role of Aadhaar-seeded DBT in plugging leakages in welfare delivery, with reference to PM-KISAN.](/upsc-mains-answer/examine-role-aadhaar-seeded-dbt-plugging-179a84f)

Leakage in welfare delivery arises from ghost beneficiaries, duplication and intermediary diversion. Aadhaar-seeded Direct Benefit Transfer attacks these by making identity, entitlement and payment a single verifiable chain — PM-KISAN, with over ₹4.46 lakh crore transferred since 2019, is its largest test case [1].

How Aadhaar-seeded DBT plugs leakages

• De-duplication at source: Aadhaar authentication and mandatory e-KYC verify beneficiary identity before payment, removing duplicate and non-existent entries [2].
• Disintermediation: money moves from the Centre to the farmer's Aadhaar-seeded account through PFMS and the Aadhaar Payment Bridge, eliminating cash-handling layers [3].
• Targeting exclusion categories: seeding with land records and PAN/income data helps screen out institutional landholders, income-tax payers and higher-income groups barred under the scheme's exclusion list [4].
• Auditability: a single digital beneficiary register on the PM-KISAN portal enables real-time tracking, grievance redressal and recovery drives against ineligible recipients [5].

Evidence and scale under PM-KISAN

• The 23rd instalment (20 June 2026, Hooghly) transferred over ₹18,880 crore to 9.44 crore farmers, including 2.18 crore women, in one digital cycle — scale impossible under intermediated delivery [1].
• Continuous verification has kept the beneficiary base dynamic rather than fixed, with self-registration through the portal, mobile app and Common Service Centres [4].

Limits of the instrument

• DBT plugs transfer leakage, not design leakage: PM-KISAN is anchored to land titles, so tenant farmers and landless labourers remain outside it [4].
• Detection of ineligible beneficiaries who wrongly self-declared shows that seeding cannot substitute for accurate land and income records [5].
• Exclusion errors persist where seeding fails — mismatched names, inactive accounts or weak connectivity delay genuine payments.

Aadhaar-seeded DBT has thus converted welfare transfer from a leaky pipeline into a traceable rail, but its integrity depends on the quality of the databases feeding it. Digitised, updated land records, assisted e-KYC and a grievance-first approach can extend these gains, advancing the constitutional promise of dignified livelihood under Article 21 and SDG-2 on ending hunger.