DIGITAL GOVERNANCE AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION MECHANISMS: LESSONS FROM THE PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM IN KASHMIR AND KERALA

Digital governance is changing the way governments run social welfare programmes through the integration of its solutions into anti-poverty systems. In this paper, we examine the influence of digital reforms on the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Kerala, widely regarded as India’s most digitally advanced state, and compare it with digital measures in Kashmir, a conflict-ridden area. Kerala’s experience with Aadhaar-registered biometric authentication and the digitisation of public services brings to the fore the ability of the state to check corruption and create better service delivery. On the other hand, Kashmir’s work for digital governance is riddled with excessive political instability, infrastructure deficit, and the frequent shutdown of the internet. This paper analyses the impact of digital initiatives in both regions in a comparative view with regard to citizens’ perceptions, state image, and access to social welfare. The paper also lays out some broader implications of digital governance for both fragile and well-established political environments. Digital technologies promise reform, the study concludes, but only if these technologies succeed will they depend on stable infrastructure, digital literacy and trust in state institutions. Lessons from Kerala’s digital success offer important pointers to making digital governance in Kashmir more efficient and inclusive.