The digital delivery of welfare services in India: Achievements, anomalies and lessons learnt

Aishwarya Sivaramakrishnan and Sony Pellissery

Chapter 26 in Handbook on Social Protection and Social Development in the Global South, 2023, pp 471-485 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: India has leveraged digital infrastructure to renew social protection delivery to address administrative inefficiencies in welfare delivery. The assignment of digital unique identifier numbers and the rollout of a massive financial inclusion programme helped to overhaul the system. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, digital infrastructure reached 900 million poor beneficiaries who received an instant cash transfer. The transfers provided a cushion against hunger and unemployment and extended social assistance for widows and the elderly. While India caught global attention for its mass outreach intervention, social spending is still below par compared to other countries. Digital delivery is one way of achieving administrative and social targets. However, new forms of social exclusion, because of loopholes, delayed payments, authentication errors, connectivity issues and the digital divide, emerged with differential impacts on women and groups of people left behind. This chapter appraises the achievements, identifies fresh challenges and provides pointers for future action.

Keywords: Development Studies; Sociology and Social Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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