The Prime Minister on Saturday rolled out the UPA government's ambitious direct cash transfer system and other Aadhar enabled services to eliminate fraud and corruption. Launching the scheme on 2nd aniversary of Aadhaar project at Dudu near Jaipur in Rajasthan this morning Dr. Manmohan Singh said the government will use technology to bring transparency. He said the scheme aims at checking corruption and pilferage in schemes and to bring transparency in implementation. Cash benefits under the schemes will be transferred to the accounts of the genuine beneficiaries without mediators.

Launching the the scheme in the presence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Sing said the government wants to make maximum use of technology, IT in particular, on large scale to make the administration accountable and to bring transparency. He said Aadhaar is a significant step in this direction. He said the government make efforts to provide opportunities to people of economically weaker section to grow and prosper, and this project is also started with this objective. This will help crores of unemployed people, he said. People face problem in starting a business or taking advantage of government’s welfare schemes if they do not have a identity proof, and such difficulties should be removed.

Handing over Aadhaar card number '21 crore' to Bali Bai, who hails from Udaipur district, Sonia Gandhi said it is the biggest scheme, of its kind, in the world and one of the

important programmes of UPA government. She said it gives Common man a right of identity. This will rapidly transform their lives. It is being used as residence proof in few states, and this will help the government transmit subsidy directly to accounts of the beneficiary," she said.

Addressing the function, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said that Aadhar will reduce duplicative and fraud in government welfare schemes. He said, Aadhaar is a boon for government schemes.It will help government in implementing welfare schemes and programmes like pension and scholarship schemes, subsidy on LPG cylinders and kerosene, effectively and to make sure the real person gets the benefit.

Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gahlot announced that ten different social welfare schemes of the state will be linked with Aadhar Card from April next year and salary of state government employees will also be linked with Aadhar Card from February.

Prime Minister congratulated the officials for their performance.He also presented ‘Aadhaar Governance Awards’ and‘Aadhaar Excellence Awards’ at the function.

The scheme will be used for making payments to beneficiaries under MGNREGA, PDS, social security pension schemes, LPG distribution scheme, Chief Minister’s rural BPL Aadhaar, a 12-digit number, serves as a proof of identity and address anywhere in the country. It is an online identity platform that can be accessed in real-time for authenticating beneficiaries and can be adapted by various user agencies.