Enabling Social Benefit Delivery through Digital Public Infrastructure
A case from Odisha, India where MuktaSoft enhanced social benefits delivery and empowered self-help groups.
Overview
Delivering social benefits directly to individuals or households is crucial for financial inclusion, empowering vulnerable communities, fostering social stability, and building trust in public institutions. However, governments often face challenges such as limited administrative capacity, information gaps, and payment friction, leading to delays.
The Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) approach addresses these issues effectively, offering a scalable and user-friendly solution that overcomes the limitations of traditional methods in scalability, ease of use, and data integrity.
Background
MUKTA, an initiative under the Urban Wage Employment Initiative (UWEI), was launched by the Government of Odisha on April 18, 2020, to generate employment opportunities in urban areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. It leverages community-based organizations (CBOs) to implement ecologically sustainable public works projects like paving roads, constructing drains, rainwater harvesting, and rejuvenating water bodies.
To ensure efficient administration, the initiative adopted a digital platform, easing the workload on Urban Local Body (ULB) staff, ensuring timely payments to beneficiaries, and verifying project completions.
Product
MuktaSoft
Reduced payment disbursement time for workers, and CBOs.
+60%
Date
June 23rd, 2024
Coverage expansion in Andhra Pradesh Properties by FY23
+96%
Practice Area
Social Benefit Delivery
Citizens benefitted from our Digital Public Goods (DPGs) across the global south
+32%
The Challenges
Burden of manual processes
Paper-based compliances caused delays, increasing the administrative burden on already overworked local government staff. Every step—from attendance tracking, and bill submission to verification, approvals, and payment instructions—relied on manual processes and led to challenges in ensuring timely completion and budget adherence.
Delayed payments
Delays in eligibility validation resulted in deviations from the specified payment timelines. This led to late payments for CBOs and wage seekers, disrupting the program’s implementation.
Data inaccessibility
Stakeholders faced difficulties accessing comprehensive and comprehensible information, leading to duplication of effort.
Inaccurate fund information
Delayed or inaccurate information on fund allocation and utilization hindered efficient decision-making.
Key Findings
Citizens benefitted from our Digital Public Goods (DPGs) across the global south
Citizens benefitted from our Digital Public Goods (DPGs) across the global south
Citizens benefitted from our Digital Public Goods (DPGs) across the global south
Citizens benefitted from our Digital Public Goods (DPGs) across the global south
The Approach
1. Platform-Product Design
Shared registries and open APIs ensured seamless data sharing and interoperability giving strategic control to urban ministries.
2. Flexible Payment Channels
Multiple channels of access like call centers, web portals, mobile apps, and flexible payment options, tailored to local needs.
3. Unified Interface
Unified interface, and integrated dashboards for employees, citizens, and administrators ease of use.
4. GIS Integration
Comprehensive GIS-based survey ensured the inclusion of all properties in the property tax registry.
The Impact
35%
The UNDP states “we know that improvements in governance, including its transparency, inclusiveness and effectiveness are important in themselves and as foundations upon .
15M
The UNDP states “we know that improvements in governance, including.
Another
Impact Tittle
120+
The UNDP states “we know that improvements in governance, including .
- its transparency, inclusiveness and effectiveness are important.
- its transparency, inclusiveness and effectiveness are important.
“Total government revenues of low income countries are only about 22% of GDP”
Outcomes
Enhanced efficiency
MuktaSoft streamlines financial transactions and decision-making with automated payment systems and approval workflows, greatly enhancing efficiency of the government officials.
Expedited payment timelines
Digitizing processes reduced payment disbursement time by more than 60%, with bills processed in days instead of months ensuring timely payment for workers, and CBOs.
Unlocked data-driven insights
MUKTASoft provided real-time reports and dashboards to monitor project progress, wage seekers, and self-help groups, enhancing visibility, transparency, and accountability allowing for quicker identification and resolution of bottlenecks.
Empowering wage seekers
Timely wage payments and improved project execution enhanced livelihood opportunities and the overall well-being of communities.
The UNDP states “we
know that improvements in governance, including its transparency,
The Solutions
The UNDP states “we know that improvements in governance, including its transparency, inclusiveness and effectiveness are important in themselves and as foundations upon which to structure and implement policies to accelerate progress towards the goals and their targets.
Solution
The UNDP states “we know that improvements in governance, including its transparency, inclusiveness and effectiveness are important in themselves and as foundations upon which to structure and implement policies to accelerate progress towards the goals and their targets. The UNDP states “we know that improvements in governance, including its transparency, inclusiveness and effectiveness are important in themselves and as foundations upon which to structure and implement policies to accelerate progress towards the goals and their targets.
The Process
Process Headline 1
The UNDP states “we know that improvements in governance, including its transparency, inclusiveness and effectiveness are important in themselves and as foundations upon .
Process Headline 2
The UNDP states “we know that improvements in governance, including its transparency, inclusiveness and effectiveness are important in themselves and as foundations upon .
Process Headline 3
The UNDP states “we know that improvements in governance, including its transparency, inclusiveness and effectiveness are important in themselves and as foundations upon .
Innovation in Bill Generation - Integrated Billing System
In 2017, Andhra Pradesh implemented the Integrated Demand Billing System, amalgamating Property Tax, Water, and Sewerage charges into a unified bill issued at the onset of the fiscal year. This streamlined approach notably enhanced revenue collection. Offering early rebates on property taxes incentivized citizens to settle all dues at once, leading to expedited collection rates, with 35-38% of dues collected within the first quarter.
