NEW DELHI: The Indian government is trying to pull out all the stops to expedite cash transfers into the rural economy by leveraging the direct benefit transfer (DBT) model amid the nationwide lockdown which has hit the rural poor and the migrant workforce the hardest.
Given the the exodus of millions of labourers from cities to villages, the situation in India’s hinterlands warrants all possible help as farm gate prices have collapsed amid a cash crunch.
Things will only get worse as it is time for the harvest of winter-sown crops and mandis must be readied for the sale of produce - all posing various difficulties given the logistics required and the lockdwon in place.