LibTech India

A group of engineers, social scientists, policy folks | Leveraging tech to improve public service delivery | Transparency and accountability

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

Strengthening Grassroots Participation Through Village-Level Survey Piloting

How can village-level research better reflect the realities and priorities of local communities?

As part of the preparatory work for our baseline survey, we piloted a village-level questionnaire in collaboration with Gram Panchayat staff and active community members.

The exercise involved engaging with residents, gathering responses, and understanding their perspectives on local development, public services, and welfare schemes.

The pilot helped us assess the clarity and relevance of the questions, identify gaps, and incorporate feedback from grassroots stakeholders before moving ahead with the baseline survey.

Meaningful research begins with listening to communities and ensuring that their experiences and perspectives shape the process.
#GrassrootsParticipation #CommunityEngagement #ParticipatoryResearch #VillageDevelopment #BaselineSurvey #LocalGovernance #LibTechIndia

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

When Adivasi Farmers Come Face to Face with AgriStack

Gaps in digital land records, pending forest rights claims and joint land titles are keeping Adivasi farmers in Andhra Pradesh from accessing Farmer ID.

In @TheIndiaForum , @samalochana and @RahulSwaero3 examine these barriers and why they must be addressed before Farmer ID becomes mandatory for agricultural schemes.

Read the full article at: https://t.co/7FmdSBMFlr

#AgriStack #AdivasiRights #FarmerID #ForestRightsAct #DigitalInclusion #LandRights #AgriculturalEntitlements #LibTechIndia

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

In an article previously published in @thewire_in, LibTech India team members @SameetPanda and @samalochana examine how the VB-G RAM G Act prioritises agricultural labour availability over workers' income security and bargaining power.

Read the article: https://t.co/bySkA4A0mL

#VBGRAMG #MGNREGA #WorkersRights

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

A
@the_hindu
news report based on LibTech India’s analysis finds a decline of 67.6 lakh registered and 26.3 lakh active MGNREGS workers following the transition to VB-G RAM G. The report also quotes our team member Venkateswarlu Kurva. The Union government must examine the deletions, reinstate all eligible workers who were wrongfully removed, and prevent further wrongful deletions.
Click on the Link below to Access the full Article:- https://t.co/QNE5yuDcOw

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

Strengthening Access to Welfare Entitlements in Karnataka

We recently met with representatives from Pratibha, Chintana Foundation, and APF to discuss the upcoming Karnataka Baseline Survey.

The discussion focused on the survey design, implementation planning, and collaboration between partner organisations. The survey aims to build a better understanding of access to welfare schemes, the documentation people possess, and the barriers that prevent eligible households from accessing their entitlements.

Through this collaboration, we hope to generate evidence that can help identify gaps in access to welfare schemes and inform efforts to make social protection more accessible to rural communities.

Looking forward to working together to make welfare entitlements more accessible to those who need them. 🤝

#Karnataka #BaselineSurvey #SocialProtection #WelfareEntitlements #LibTechIndia

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

Landholders have the necessary documents, but their records are missing from the MIS. Why?

At an ILDC-organised workshop in Bhitdiha Panchayat, Palamu, Jharkhand, LibTech India explored the process of land-record digitisation and the challenges landholders face.

Some records were missing from the MIS, while others had not yet been entered.

Understanding these gaps is key to understanding how digital land records work in practice.

#LibTechIndia #LandRecords

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

Is technology becoming a barrier to the right to work?

In an article published in Prajavani, Sarada Gopala and our team member Chakradhar Buddha (@samalochana) examine the implications of digital verification under the new VB-G RAM G scheme.

The article raises concerns about facial recognition, mobile-based attendance, and network dependency, questioning whether these systems risk making access to employment conditional on technology rather than ensuring that workers can exercise their right to work.

Click on the link to access the article:- https://t.co/KhqjCPpPI8

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

LibTech India’s research on social security pensions in Andhra Pradesh has been featured in Deccan Herald.
Our analysis of two years of pension data shows that the number of sanctioned pensions declined from 65.18 lakh in July 2024 to 62.20 lakh in July 2026—a reduction of nearly 3 lakh beneficiaries.
The findings also highlight the continued absence of regular new Enrollments and gaps in pension coverage, including among eligible beneficiaries in Adivasi areas.
Read the full coverage by @DeccanHerald to learn more about the findings and what the data tells us about access to social security pensions.

Click on the comments to access the Link

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

No Order Yet on Additional 50 Days of MGNREGA Work for FRA Title Holders

Under the earlier MGNREGA framework, eligible Scheduled Tribe households in forest areas holding titles under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) received an additional 50 days of wage employment beyond the standard 100 days, subject to specified conditions.

The new VB-G RAM G Act provides for up to 125 days of wage employment per rural household annually. However, as reported by The Hindu, the Union Rural Development Ministry confirmed that, as of October 6, 2026, no separate order or guideline had been issued clarifying the status of the additional 50 days for eligible FRA title holders.

All entitlements and provisions must be clearly documented in policy to guide implementation and ensure that intended beneficiaries can access them on the ground. As we transition to the new framework, identifying and addressing gaps in the policy is crucial to prevent ambiguity and ensure that eligible households do not lose access to their entitlements.

Read the full article in The Hindu:
https://t.co/nCKYYBerpT

#LibTechIndia #VBGGRAMGAct #MGNREGA #ForestRightsAct #AdivasiRights #RuralEmployment

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

Are People Being Informed About Changes to the PDS System?

The LibTech India team met with a PDS operator at the block level in Manika to understand the process of linking Aadhaar with ration cards.

During the discussion, we learned that citizens cannot link their Aadhaar to their ration cards themselves and must approach the block-level PDS operator to complete the process. The operator also informed us that no application is required; citizens only need to provide their Aadhaar.

At LibTech India, we track changes in welfare delivery systems and the processes through which these changes are implemented. It is equally important to understand whether people are informed about these updates and know what steps they need to take to access their entitlements. This helps us understand not just how the system is changing, but also how these changes are communicated to the people who depend on it.

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

Poshan Tracker and Barriers to Nutrition Entitlements in Agency Areas

LibTech India team members recently visited Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh, and interacted with Anganwadi Workers to understand how the Poshan Tracker app functions in practice.

During the field visit, the team observed how difficulties in registering eligible beneficiaries on the app can prevent them from receiving Take-Home Ration (THR). Anganwadi Workers also shared the challenges they face, sometimes walking 1–3 km to find internet connectivity just to complete beneficiary registrations.

These experiences highlight the gap between digital systems and the challenges specific to agency areas. When internet connectivity becomes a barrier, both frontline workers and eligible beneficiaries face difficulties in accessing essential nutrition services.

At LibTech India, we believe digital systems should be designed to reduce exclusion and ensure that people receive the entitlements they are eligible for. Technology must make access to welfare services easier and more inclusive, not create additional barriers for those it is meant to serve.

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

From Policy on Paper to Practice in the Field

As part of their internship, economics students from APU interacted with farmers in ASR District to understand how NREGA is implemented in villages, how it supports farmers, and how the works undertaken through the programme contribute to rural livelihoods and village development.

At LibTech, we encourage interns to engage directly with communities and observe the implementation of public programmes firsthand. These interactions help bridge the gap between what students learn about policies in the classroom and how these policies are implemented in practice. By listening to farmers and learning from their experiences, students gain a deeper understanding of how programmes like NREGA function, the role they play in rural communities, and the challenges involved in their implementation.

We believe that learning goes beyond textbooks. Such field experiences help students connect concepts with practical insights, develop a better understanding of public service delivery, and learn from the people these programmes are designed to support.

#LibTechIndia #APUEconomics #MGNREGA #RuralDevelopment #FieldLearning #PublicServiceDelivery

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

Understanding how communities respond to challenges.

During our field visit to Itki, Ranchi, we spoke with community members about challenges they face while accessing Aadhaar, pensions and the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Rather than looking only at individual experiences, we explored what happens when multiple people face similar challenges: - Do they approach these issues individually, or do they come together and respond collectively?

At LibTech India, we engage with communities to understand not only the challenges in accessing welfare systems, but also how people navigate and respond to these challenges.

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

Social Security Pensions: Field Days
During a recent field visit to Heerapur Gram Panchayat in Raichur district, LibTech India team members spoke with social security pension beneficiaries, including elderly persons and widows.
Their experiences offered a glimpse into the different layers involved in accessing a pension: - from verification and payment processes to receiving the entitlement at the beneficiary’s end.

For people who rely on social security pensions, each of these layers can shape how easily and regularly they are able to access their entitlements.

At LibTech India, we engage with people at the last mile to understand these layers of welfare delivery and bring ground-level experiences into conversations around how public systems can work better for everyone.

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

At LibTech India, we ask a simple but important question: Are the people these schemes are designed for actually able to access the benefits they are entitled to?

Field engagement helps us understand how schemes work in people’s everyday lives, identify gaps in access, and bring ground realities into conversations around improving public systems.

Because a scheme’s promise matters only when it reaches the people it was designed to serve.
#LibTechIndia #PVTG #PublicServices #SocialProtection #GroundRealities #Fieldwork

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

Learning from people. Understanding policy through practice.

As part of their internship with LibTech India, APU @azimpremjiuniv interns visited Adivasi villages in the Eastern Ghats. They engaged with Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cardholders to understand their experiences with the Public Distribution System (PDS) and access to food entitlements.

Such engagement helps young people connect classroom learning with everyday realities—listening to people, asking questions and understanding how public schemes work in practice.

Every year, LibTech welcomes interns from leading institutions across the country. This year, we also hosted interns from Europe.

We see internships as a space for learning, reflection and contribution, with people’s experiences at the centre.

[LibTech India @LibtechIndia]

The LibTech India team came together for our six-monthly retreat on 25th, 26th, and 27th at Visthar, Bengaluru.

Three days of reflection, learning, meaningful conversations, and collective thinking as we looked back on our work and looked on way forward.