DIRECT BENEFIT TRANSFER AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF WELFARE GOVERNANCE IN INDIA: ASSESSING INCLUSION AND LAST-MILE DELIVERY

Source abstract

The rapid growth of digital governance in India has transformed welfare delivery systems, with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) emerging as a key reform to enhance efficiency and transparency. This paper critically examines DBT's role in reshaping welfare governance, with a focus on access, barriers, and last-mile delivery. The study uses a qualitative research approach that analyzes policy reports, government documents, and existing academic literature. The findings show that DBT has improved welfare delivery by enabling direct transfers to beneficiaries’ bank accounts, reducing intermediaries, and increasing accountability. The integration of digital infrastructure through the Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile (JAM) framework has significantly expanded the reach of welfare programs. However, these benefits are uneven. While DBT has increased formal inclusion, actual access to benefits still depends on digital and financial infrastructure, which is not uniformly available. The study highlights key challenges, including Aadhaar-related authentication failures, limited banking access, connectivity issues, and low digital literacy. These barriers are especially evident at the last-mile delivery stage, where beneficiaries experience delays, transaction failures, and reliance on local intermediaries. Such challenges reveal a gap between policy design and implementation. The paper argues that DBT signifies a broader move toward efficiency-focused governance but also raises concerns about fair access. It stresses the need for a balanced approach that combines technological systems with better infrastructure, institutional support, and user capacity. This study deepens understanding of digital welfare reforms by emphasizing the need to address inequality in access to technology-driven governance systems.