‘Just Like DOGE Mission’: PM Modi Highlights How His Govt Removed Fake Welfare Scheme Beneficiaries
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has drawn parallels between Elon Musk’s DOGE mission and his own governance philosophy, emphasising his commitment to eliminating deep-rooted issues and harmful practices.
In a recent interview with US-based podcaster Lex Fridman, PM Modi said, “With Musk’s DOGE mission, he is incredibly excited about how it’s progressing and honestly, it makes me happy too because when I took office in 2014, I wanted to free my country from the deep-rooted issues and harmful practices that have crept in, and I’ll continue striving to eliminate as many of them as I possibly can.”
PM Modi highlighted his government’s success in removing 100 million fake beneficiaries from welfare schemes, saving Rs 3 lakh crore through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). He explained that upon taking office in 2014, he discovered widespread exploitation of welfare programs, with benefits being disbursed to nonexistent individuals. This prompted a thorough scrutiny, leading to the identification and removal of these fake beneficiaries.
“After I took office in 2014, I observed that back then we weren’t part of many global discussions, not like how President Trump and DOGE are being talked about today. But let me give you an example so you can see the kind of work that was done. I noticed that the benefits of certain government schemes, especially welfare programs, were being exploited by so many people who never even existed in real life.
There were ghost names, pensions being issued to fake people. Widow pensions were being granted even before marriages took place, and disability pensions were given without any real disabilities. Then I launched a scrutiny process, and you’ll be shocked to know what we found. A hundred million people, a hundred million people, that’s a hundred million fake or duplicate names that I removed from the system. And because of that, we saved massive amount of money,” PM Modi said.
This initiative, PM Modi stated, reflects his broader approach to governance, which focuses on efficiency and transparency. He cited the example of streamlining government processes by scrapping 1,500 obsolete laws and over 45,000 unnecessary compliances. He also emphasised the implementation of the GeM portal for government purchases, which has fostered competition and improved quality.
By drawing parallels with DOGE’s mission, PM Modi emphasised that his governance reforms, while bold, are ultimately aimed at freeing the system from unnecessary dominance and inefficiency. “And naturally, when bold changes happen, just like DOGE’s mission, they become a topic of discussion worldwide,” he added.