Digital Bridges or Digital Divides? Assessing E-Governance Policy Frameworks for SC Women's Empowerment in Andhra Pradesh
Author(s): Dr. Kiran Estarla
Publication #: 2606034
Date of Publication: 08.06.2025
Country: India
Pages: 1-11
Published In: Volume 11 Issue 3 June-2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62970/IJIRCT.v11.i3.2606034
Abstract
E-governance has emerged as a transformative instrument in India's public policy architecture, promising to reshape welfare delivery, civic participation, and socioeconomic inclusion. In the context of Andhra Pradesh, the rapid deployment of digital governance platforms — including MeeSeva, PFMS-linked Direct Benefit Transfers, the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) trinity, and the e-Panchayat ecosystem — has raised critical questions about whether these frameworks adequately serve Scheduled Caste (SC) women, a constituency historically excluded from both formal governance and digital access. This paper critically assesses the design, implementation, and ground-level impact of e-governance policy frameworks in Andhra Pradesh through the lens of SC women's empowerment. Drawing on secondary data from National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), NSSO reports, the State Socio-Economic Survey of Andhra Pradesh, and a synthesis of published empirical studies indexed on Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science, the paper maps structural barriers to digital access including connectivity deficits, digital illiteracy, patriarchal gatekeeping, and documentation exclusions. The analysis identifies a paradox wherein state-mandated digital delivery mechanisms simultaneously expand formal entitlements and intensify access inequalities among SC women. The paper concludes with evidence-informed policy recommendations aimed at closing the digital gender-caste gap in Andhra Pradesh.
Keywords: e-governance, Scheduled Caste women, digital divide, Andhra Pradesh, women's empowerment, digital inclusion, welfare delivery, caste and technology, MeeSeva, DBT
Download/View Count: 1
Share this Article