Late last October, the Prime Minister constituted a highpowered National Committee on Direct Cash Transfers (DCT), with eleven Cabinet Ministers, two Ministers of State with independent charge, the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, the Chairman UIDAI and Cabinet Secretary, with the Principal Secretary to the PM as the convenor. In about two weeks, the executive committee decided that DCTs would commence in 51 districts from 1 January 2013. When 2013 rolled around, this was scaled down to twenty districts in the initial phase and a limited number (seven) of programs. In the first instance, the plan is to “transfer cash benefits like scholarships, pensions, NREGA wages, etc. directly to the Bank or Post Office Accounts of identified beneficiaries�. This Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) “will not be a substitute for delivery of public services� and in particular, they “will not replace food with cash under the Public Distribution System�. This reflects a measured approach to the issue by the government. It is therefore useful to focus on two broad issues, viz. (a) the kinds of problems can DBTs be expected to address and (b) the design of the pilots, from a learning point of view.