Linking of Aadhaar in bank accounts, Jan Dhan or otherwise, enables Ministries/Departments under Centre and State governments to transfer subsidy directly into the bank account of the beneficiaries using the Aadhaar Payment Bridge. However, beneficiaries not having Aadhaar number are also allowed direct benefit transfer into their bank accounts.

As on 15.12.2017, out of 106.41 crore Current Account and Savings Account (CASA), 82.47 crore accounts are seeded with Aadhaar number. Within these, out of 30.76 crore Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts 22.58 crore PMJDY accounts have been seeded with Aadhaar number, as on 20.12.2017.

As per information received from DBT Mission, Ministries/Departments have reported estimated savings of ₹ 57,029 crore as on 31.3.2017, due to direct benefit transfer (DBT) under various schemes as under: Pratyaksh Hanstantrit Labh (PAHAL), Public distribution system, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) and others schemes, due to elimination of ghost beneficiaries etc.

This was stated by Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister of State for Finance in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

Aadhaar linkage enables direct benefit transfers via the Aadhaar Payment Bridge while protecting non Aadhaar beneficiaries' access. Linking Aadhaar to bank accounts permits Ministries and Departments to use the Aadhaar Payment Bridge for direct credit of subsidies and benefits while preserving direct benefit transfer into accounts of beneficiaries without Aadhaar; the release reports significant proportions of CASA and Jan Dhan accounts seeded with Aadhaar and administrative savings from DBT due to elimination of duplicate or ghost beneficiaries across major welfare schemes.