LibTech India

🚨 We’re Hiring! Programme Coordinator based in Ranchi. Looking for passionate individual who interested in research, governance, public policy, data, and field realities. If you want to work on issues that directly concerns the people and public systems, we’d love to hear from you. 🔁If you know someone who would be a good fit, please share this with your friends and networks. Apply Now: contactus@libtech.in with subject line Programme Coordinator #Hiring #Jobs #PublicPolicy #Research #Governance

LibTech India conducted a 3-day workshop (Apr 28–30, Mysore) with 30 CSO partners from across Karnataka on accessing social welfare entitlements. Training and strengthening CSOs is a core part of our work. The workshop covered ABHA, PDS ration cards, BOCW, and eShram, combining system understanding with hands-on support for registration and accessing information online. #SocialWelfare #Karnataka

Aadhaar works well on paper. But what about everything in between? In Adivasi areas, people aren’t just “excluded” — they’re stuck. Applications fail. No reasons. No tracking. No support. Each rejection often means another long journey, another expense, another attempt—with no guarantee it will work this time. This “missing middle” — between enrolment and successful use — is where the system quietly breaks. And because these failures are rarely recorded, they remain invisible in official data. But for people on the ground, this isn’t invisible. It means no access to welfare, delayed benefits, and constant uncertainty. This is where identity — and rights — quietly break down. Our team has written about this in detail — @samalochana & @bdskishore Full article: thewire.in/rights/why-aad… #Aadhaar #AdivasiRights #AdivasiIdentity

Loss of Work, Income & Worker Base: MGNREGA in Telangana - FY 2025-26 #MGNREGA #Telangana 📉 Year-on-year decline: Persondays ↓ 40.6% Registered households ↓ 1.6% HHs getting work ↓ 17.4% Workers employed ↓ 20.3% This is a state-wide contraction — nearly double the national decline of 20.6%. 👷 Workforce itself is shrinking: Net loss of 4.02 lakh workers 0.83 lakh jobcards lost Not just less work — fewer workers in the system. (Nationally, 134.17 lakh workers were deleted.) 📉 Access to sustained work collapsed: HHs completing 100 days ↓ 75.3% Avg persondays per HH ↓ 28.1% State avg persondays per HH for FY 2025-26 (32.93 days) vs national avg (43.18 days) 💰 Wages increased (₹300 → ₹307), but incomes fell: Avg HH income ↓ ₹1,004 👉 Because employment declined — losing 496 lakh persondays across the year. Decline was sharpest in Q1 (↓ 48.8%) continued drop for (↓Q2 & ↓Q3) but Q4 witnessed a marginal increase of (2.1%) ⚠️ Disproportionate impact: SC/ST households account for ~38% of income loss (₹255.93 crore out of ₹674.26 crore total). This is not a temporary dip — it signals structural weakening of the employment guarantee in Telangana. 📊 Full Report: libtech.in/wp-content/upl… @TelanganaCMO @revanth_anumula @Bhatti_Mallu @seethakkaMLA @the_hindu @ThePrintIndia @thenewsminute @PTI_News @thewire_in @KTRBRS @KTRoffice @DeccanHerald @DeccanChronicle #WorkerRights #Telangana #RuralEmployment #SocialProtection #LibTechIndia #EmploymentGuarantee

🚨 REPORT LAUNCH ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨 With our continued focus on MGNREGA, documenting trends on the ground remains crucial. Tomorrow, LibTech India will release the MGNREGA Annual Report for Telangana (FY-2025–26). 📊 We are bringing together key trends that shape rural employment in the state: ✅ Employment generation patterns ✅ Wage and income trends ✅ Updates on deletions & additions ✅ SC & ST participation ✅ District-wise dynamics 🗓️ Releasing Tomorrow, 25th April 2026 ⏰ 11:00 AM IST @MoRD_GoI @TelanganaCMO @revanth_anumula @DeputyCMO_TG @Bhatti_Mallu @seethakkaMLA @the_hindu @thenewsminute @thewire_in @PTI_News @DeccanHerald @DeccanChronicle @ThePrintIndia @timesofindia @TimesNow @NREGA_Sangharsh @IndianExpress @htTweets @TelanganaCS @KTRBRS @KTRoffice @rajendran_naray @samalochana #MGNREGA #WorkersRights #Telangana #LibTech #PublicPolicy #RuralDevelopment

NMMS didn’t eliminate corruption in #MGNREGA. It restructured it. From fake entries → to denied entries From invisible leakages → to visible exclusion Now, the biggest challenge isn’t just corruption— it’s whether workers can even access their right to work. A thoughtful piece by our colleagues @samalochana & @KuruvaKvs unpacks how these shifts are playing out on the ground. If accountability comes at the cost of access, the system needs rethinking. @thewire_in @MoRD_GoI Full article: thewire.in/labour/nmms-di… #MGNREGA #PublicPolicy #DigitalGovernance

A small policy change. A big shift on the ground. We conducted a field visit across 6 villages in G. Madugula & Chintapalli (ASR), AP to understand the impact of discontinuing doorstep delivery through mobile ration vans, difficulties and hardships faced by Adivasis. What this now means for Adivasi people: 🚶‍♂️ Kilometers of travel 💸 Additional out-of-pocket expenses ⏳ Hours spent waiting in queues We saw how this directly affects access to the right to food. The promised doorstep delivery ration for elderly persons and persons with disabilities by the AP government is also not operation on the ground. #RightToFood #LastMileDelivery #Adivasi

🚨 REPORT LAUNCH ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨 With the recent repeal of MGNREGA, documenting the reality on the ground is an incredibly important story. Tomorrow, LibTech India will release the MGNREGA Tracker for Andhra Pradesh (2025-26). 📊 We are publishing vital trends that defined rural employment in the state: ✅ Overall employment generated ✅ Total wage disbursement trends ✅ Crucial updates on wage receipts & Household (HH) removals 🗓️ Dropping Tomorrow, 17th April 2026 ⏰ 11:30 AM IST @AndhraPradeshCM @APDeputyCMO @MoRD_GoI @ChouhanShivraj @PawanKalyan @ncbn @the_hindu @thenewsminute @PTI_News @DeccanHerald @DeccanChronicle @IndianExpress @ThePrintIndia @htTweets @thewire_in @NREGA_Sangharsh @timesofindia @TimesNow @samalochana @rajendran_naray @SameetPanda #MGNREGA #AndhraPradesh #LibTechIndia #DataTransparency #RuralDevelopment #WorkerRights

On Ambedkar Jayanti, we remember Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s vision of a Constitution that guarantees dignity, equality, and justice for all. As governance becomes increasingly digital, the question before us is not just efficiency but whether these systems uphold constitutional rights, especially for the most marginalized. At LibTech India, our work continues to focus on ensuring that technology strengthens, not weakens, access to rights and entitlements. #AmbedkarJayanti #ConstitutionalValues #DigitalRights #SocialJustice

We are pleased to share that LibTech India is conducting a two-day consultation in Ranchi on 15–16 April 2026 in collaboration with the National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi. The consultation will bring together community-based organisations, researchers, technologists, and digital governance practitioners to share grounded evidence and field experiences, reflect on what is working and what is not, and collaboratively explore practical solutions for making Aadhaar-enabled welfare systems more inclusive and accountable. This consultation aims to shift the conversation from diagnosis to solution-building, grounded in field realities and collaborative expertise. By bridging grassroots insights with technical and policy perspectives, the consultation will also open space for reflecting on Aadhaar's broader role in India's digital governance landscape. @no2uid @roadscholarz @rajendran_naray @NUSRL_Ranchi @laavanyatamang @samalochana @SarkarDevahuti @SameetPanda @bdskishore

When welfare becomes data-driven, who carries the burden of errors—the system or the citizen? A timely piece by our colleague @rajendran_naray, co-authored with @padmini_ramesh , on how datafication is reshaping citizenship and access to rights. @TheIndiaForum Read: theindiaforum.in/politics/dataf… #DigitalIndia #Citizenship #Rights #Governance

Part of LibTech’s work is to understand how digital systems operate, how they are used, and the impact they have on access to entitlements for rightsholders and frontline officials. As part of this, we conducted a field study in Alluri Sitharamaraju district, AP, to understand how Poshan Tracker and PMMVY function on the ground, the challenges faced—and whether these systems are sensitive to Adivasi geographies and living realities. #DigitalGovernance #PMMVY #PoshanTracker #AdivasiRights #FieldStudy #PublicSystems #Entitlements #LastMileDelivery #InclusiveTech

What do constitutional rights mean for Adivasi communities in practice? The LibTech team joined as facilitators in a workshop in Andhra Pradesh, organized by the Laya organization—engaging in discussions on constitutional provisions, entitlements, and the ground-level challenges faced by Adivasi communities. #AdivasiRights #ConstitutionalRights

In light of the Union government’s push for ration card deletions in the #PDS, our team visited Kejurdangal and Basetkundi panchayats in Pakuria block to understand how deletions are being carried out on the ground. A core part of LibTech India’s work is to consistently verify what official digital systems and public data show against ground realities. This field visit is part of that ongoing effort. What emerges is not just a question of deletions, but of due process. At the village level, sabhas were conducted using publicly available data to verify deleted members and ration cards. We met affected households to understand whether they had received any prior information and cross-checked these findings with official records. Interactions with PDS dealers helped unpack how verification and deletion decisions are being implemented locally. When access to food #entitlements under the PDS is made contingent on processes that are uneven, opaque, or poorly communicated, the risk is not just administrative error but exclusion of rightful rightsholders. #Jharkhand #NFSA #Welfare

A story on offline PDS systems in Adivasi areas reached 81,000+ people across India and beyond. When systems fail at the last mile, these stories matter. Glad to see ground realities from Alluri Sitharama Raju district, AP are reaching wider audiences. @idr_online Read here: idronline.org/ground-up-stor… #PDS #Adivasi #WelfareRights

India’s push for digital welfare is leaving many behind. Glitches, Aadhaar failures, and digital exclusion are denying people access to rations, pensions, and livelihoods. Our team @KuruvaKvs & @samalochana authored this piece. Digital systems must protect rights—not replace them. Read more: idronline.org/article/rights… #DigitalIndia #Welfare #Rights

Correct documentation of land titles forms the foundation of all land related entitlements. To investigate this matter, LibTech visited Vanjari Gram Panchayat, ITDA Paderu of Andhra Pradesh and thoroughly verified details in the pattas of farmers. The pattas were then cross verified with other essential documents such as Aadhaar. We observed cases of incorrect mobile numbers and addresses in the pattas. The questions we ask are- Are farmers aware of the process of rectifying the details? What is the level of exclusion created by these errors? We found that farmers were unaware of the next steps to be taken. Consequently, such errors may exclude them from Annadata Sukhibhava scheme, an input support scheme for farmers in Andhra Pradesh. Errors such as incorrect land extent, name mismatch with Aadhaar or wrong mobile number may cause exclusions or challenges in accessing the scheme. Incorrect documentation does not just remain a bureaucratic aberration, but becomes part of systemic failures. Such errors may exclude beneficiaries from accessing schemes. LibTech continues to document such failures on the ground as part of its advocacy efforts to bring systemic changes.

What happens when digital networks fail? Vanthala Bhaskar and Jartha Matyakondababu discuss the intervention of S R Sankaran Adivasi Sahaya Kendram--- a people-centric offline system that supplements. In ASR district, offline distribution of PDS and low network connectivity renders rightholders incapable of accessing vital information regarding their entitlements. The Kendram draws information from key registers--- food-grain prices, ration cards, and entitlements of approximately 2,500 households in the area every month--- and disseminates in the form of WhatsApp messages and printed notices in community spaces. Read the full story here buff.ly/CWJpsnG #DigitalDivide #PDS #Righttofood

LibTech team facilitated a 3-day workshop with Adivasi youth from tribal regions of Andhra Pradesh. The workshop dealt with writing effective case studies and filing collective grievances around social security programs. These skills help grassroots workers and youth leaders build evidence around the implementation of government schemes. The sessions reiterated a strong rights-based perspective, and encouraged participants to take a 360 degree view on exclusions. Ways of building clear, constructive evidence-based case studies were explored. 35 participants joined us from Alluri Sitharama Raju, Srikakulam, and Parvathipuram Manyam districts.