Bihar Launches 'Social Register' for Welfare Scheme Beneficiaries

The Bihar government plans to launch a 'social register' to create a database of welfare scheme beneficiaries. This initiative, approved in a cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, aims to streamline service delivery and reduce fraud. The state will also lower vehicle registration charges and initiate cervical cancer vaccination for girls aged 9-14.

The Bihar government has announced plans to introduce a 'social register' aimed at creating a comprehensive database of beneficiaries for welfare schemes. The decision came after a cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, where the Information Technology Department's proposal for a Unified Service Delivery Platform dubbed 'Bihar-One' was approved.

According to Cabinet Secretariat's Additional Chief Secretary S Siddharth, the register will require beneficiaries to enlist on the portal, receiving a unique registry number to track their scheme benefits. This system aims to minimize fraud and duplicate beneficiaries while monitoring living standards. The project will cost Rs 85.23 crore and the implementation will commence soon.

The cabinet also decided to lower registration fees for new vehicles to curb revenue losses and to start a vaccination program against cervical cancer for girls aged 9 to 14 years, allocating Rs 150 crore for vaccine procurement. The vaccines will be available at all government health facilities across the state.

(With inputs from agencies.)