Digital Inclusion and Social Welfare Policies in India: Challenges, Opportunities, and Pathways for Inclusive Development.
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Abstract
Inclusive development and social welfare in India have become a major concern of digital inclusion. The fast pace of technology development along with the big initiatives undertaken by the Government of India like Digital India, Aadhaar, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), and digital financial services has revolutionized the delivery of welfare services and public services. There are however some big regional, gender, socio-economic group and education level differences. This paper explores the connection between digital inclusion and social welfare policies in India, outlining key hurdles, opportunities, and prospects in the journey towards inclusive development. Based on current literature, the study examines the digital governance, financial inclusion, digital education, rural development and employment generation. The paper proposes that although digital technologies have brought greater transparency, accessibility and efficiency to delivering welfare services, the digital divides must be resolved through building infrastructure, digital literacy, policy coordination and access to technology for inclusive development. The findings point towards the potential of a comprehensive and citizen-centric digital ecosystem to play a crucial role in Sustainable and Inclusive development of India....
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