Digital public infrastructure (DPI) – systems that enable the effective provision of essential society-wide functions and services – can enable a paradigm shift, allowing governments to co-create solutions with the private sector and civil society. India has used Aadhaar (digital identity) and UPI (digital payments) extensively to address the challenges of identification and financial inclusion in social protection delivery, particularly in the case of migrants. 

While India needs to go further in the use of data exchanges, another key DPI building block, there are already steps being taken towards that to unlock meaningful public-private collaborations. For example, India’s National Health Authority recently announced that three key citizen-centric services can be availed through third-party apps and portals, including checking eligibility, getting information on empanelled hospitals, and tracking grievance redressal. Responsible sharing and use of data to address information asymmetry and create an ecosystem of value-added services is a key strength of data exchanges.

There are three key areas where DPI can enable public-private collaborations in the delivery of social protection of migrants. One, improving awareness of entitlements and reducing the transaction costs involved in signing up. Two, enabling access to information on living and work conditions due to the informal nature of jobs and three, grievance redressal mechanisms. While a growing ecosystem of private players (NGOs, civil society organisations, not-for-profit and for-profit entities) are addressing these needs, well designed data exchanges can help unlock a strong public-private collaboration in the delivery of social protection. Examples of areas and private initiatives that are ripe for such collaboration include:

  • Awareness of entitlements: One barrier faced at the initial stage is lack of awareness of entitlements or of the need to reapply, when migrants move from one state to another. Jan Saathi is an application that provides migrants with information on eligible social security schemes. Organisations such as Haqdarshak not only inform potential beneficiaries about their eligibility for various schemes, Central or State, but also help them avail entitlements.
  • Information about livelihoods and housing: The informal nature of the labour market makes access to affordable and safe living conditions a challenge, especially if the family migrates as a unit. MoHUA has introduced the Affordable Rental Housing Complexes under PMAY-Urban but the availability of such facilities is inadequate compared to the number of migrants. Bandhu’s ecosystem of applications connect migrant workers directly with employers and housing providers, to give them more informed choices. Jobsgaar and MyRojgaar also play a similar role by connecting workers to employers.
  • Grievance redressal: Gram Vaani bridges the gap in grievance redressal by providing a platform where citizens can use Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to record their grievance in accessing entitlements. Aajeevika Bureau and The Working People’s Charter built the India Labourline to provide legal aid and mediation services to migrant workers. 

Leveraging DPI can help unlock meaningful public-private partnerships and allow private sector participants to contribute further up the value chain. India’s COVID-19 vaccination program was supported by the Co-WIN platform, which acted as the digital foundation for state/city-level public authorities and private players, who built more than 100 apps to offer services such as finding vaccination centres and slots, scheduling appointments and reporting adverse events after vaccination. The existence of such robust DPI can lead to more effective collaboration in the delivery of social benefit and help enterprises function at scale and go beyond substitution. 

Leveraging DPI can help unlock meaningful public-private partnerships and allow private sector participants to contribute further up the value chain.

There are several ways to enable this. The state’s digital efforts are often in siloes and the need to maximise use of data across schemes and departments is a high priority. Initiatives such as direct benefit transfers and linking of schemes for portability of entitlements have shown promise. e-Shram, which is a national database of unorganised workers, aims to reduce access barriers to social protection for migrants. Recent announcements of API-based integration of e-Shram with the various state government labour departments and with the One Nation One Ration Card scheme are a step in that direction. Beneficiary centric models such as Haryana’s Parivar Pehchan Patra and Karnataka’s Kutumba programs attempt to address this within their states and lower the cost of availing benefits for citizens. 

Enabling linkages of e-Shram with the private sector can lead to benefits on the demand side, in the form of reduced transaction costs in identifying jobs, affordable housing and redressal of grievances. From a supply side, it will usher in competition and improvement in the provision of these critical services. Private players who have established relationships with these mobile populations can help the state in planning and forecasting the demand for benefits. An example of this is the digital payment ecosystem since the introduction of UPI. This has not only helped make leaps in financial inclusion but also made it attractive for international and domestic companies to build innovative products and services.

The need for adequate data protection and safeguards is essential for implementation of any such initiative. They have to be studied thoroughly for their impact on prevailing societal dynamics and structures that support these vulnerable groups, and not cause undue disruptions to their lives and livelihoods.