Building on the first phase of the research, Sathyamala examines how digital food assistance practices interact with wider political and economic processes.

The research focuses on three areas: the digitalization of the Public Distribution System (PDS) from procurement to distribution; smart and precision agriculture; and the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile) trinity, which forms a key part of India’s digital infrastructure.

Fieldwork was conducted in Delhi and Chhattisgarh, two states with contrasting levels of development and infrastructure. Data was collected in rural and urban locations in both states. The research also examines the Saagu Baagu project in Telangana, which has been presented as a successful example of enabling small and marginalized cultivators to benefit from smart technologies.

The findings challenge the dominant narrative of digitalization as an unequivocal success. From the perspective of poor and marginalized communities, the research finds that digitalization can create new forms of exclusion while offering them limited benefits.

The Working Paper asks what India’s digital transformation means for those who depend on food assistance and agricultural livelihoods, and who ultimately benefits from the digitalization of food and welfare systems.