New Delhi: The government saved Rs 57,000 crore, "pocketed" earlier by middlemen, through the use of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in various public schemes, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Friday.
Scores of schemes like MGNREGA have been linked to DBT, under which the receivables are transferred directly to the beneficiary's bank accounts, he said.
"We have saved 57,000 crore, which used to be pocketed by middlemen (earlier)," he said at the Digital Haryana Summit.
The government had informed Parliament that there were over 33 crore beneficiaries under 84 schemes which have been linked to the DBT at the end of February 2017.
Prasad further said that there is a proposal to link Aadhaar with driving licences as well as vehicle registration to ensure that multiple licences are not issued in case anyone seeks to do so.
Referring to the debate on security of Aadhaar data, he said the biometric information -- which includes iris scan and fingerprints -- is stored in an encrypted form and is very secure.
"If you look at the physical card, it has my photo, says I am a male and has my permanent Patna address at the back. It does not have details like names of my parents, caste, religion, educational qualification, financial income or health records. None of the things by which you can be profiled are mentioned on the Aadhaar card," he said.
He added that "Aadhaar is a digital identity" which confirms the physical identity with the help of biometrics and there are laws in place to check against unauthorised usage of Aadhaar.
Prasad, along with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, unveiled a slew of initiatives around IT, startups and cybersecurity.
To boost the startup ecosystem in Gurugram, the state government and IT industry body Nasscom have set up a startup warehouse.
The eighty-four seater unit also has a mobile application development incubation centre within the warehouse. It has already received more than 350 applications from startups for facility.
Besides, the state government also launched Centre for IoT (Internet of Things), Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), and incubation centres.
India's burgeoning digital economy is expected to provide job opportunities to about 50-70 lakh youth in the country by 2020, Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Friday.
Reiterating the Centre's commitment towards the country's growth, Prasad said it is important to have affordable and inclusive technology to ensure growth and prosperity for the masses.
Speaking at the Digital Haryana Summit, he said the country's digital economy is growing fast and by 2020 it is expected to provide job opportunities to about 50 to 70 lakh youth.
The event was jointly organised by IT industry body Nasscom.
Prasad welcomed the launch of the cyber security policy by the state and said Haryana is the first in the country to implement such a policy.
Haryana is a base for thousands of Indian and global tech companies and there is a huge potential for the state to become an electronics and mobile manufacturing hub, he said.
Assuring support to the state government, Prasad said a digital revolution needs to be brought in Haryana and entrepreneurs need to play a larger role in helping with the digital transformation of the villages.
He cited the example of the Centre's scheme to promote setting up of BPOs in smaller towns, Prasad exhorted that the such units be set up in cities like Rohtak and Jhajjar.