MSC has devised a framework that stakeholders can use to design and evaluate social protection programs through a user centric-lens. The framework facilitates a comparison of different DBT programs while offering a standard through which lessons, innovations, and best practices can be explored by policy makers and program implementers.

India responded to the COVID-19 crisis by announcing several relief measures under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY). As part of PMGKY, 80 million poor women enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), received cash transfers in their bank accounts to purchase liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This paper assess the program’s efficacy and the experience of beneficiaries in receiving advance transfers into their bank accounts and purchasing LPG refills during and after the lockdown.

India’s early response to the COVID-19 pandemic included several measures, including a nationwide lockdown, an information campaign, and the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY)—a major social protection package. This paper explores the implementation of PMGKY based on a household survey conducted 4-6 weeks after its launch. The study also highlights the critical need to increase the spread of smartphones across the population.

As part of the relief measures announced by the Indian government to combat the COVID-19 crisis, 80 million poor women received cash transfers to purchase liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). This paper analyzes the program’s performance and the experience of beneficiaries while purchasing LPG refills from the money disbursed during and after the lockdown.

India, with its millions of farmers who provide food security for the country’s vast population, is primed to reform its fertilizer subsidy program. This blog lists the challenges of subsidizing fertilizer use in India and provides solutions to connect subsidies directly to farmers.

This publication discusses two alternative models to Direct Cash Transfer (DCT) of fertilizer subsidy in India. It further looks at the potential issues that beneficiary farmers could face under each of the proposed models.

This publication discusses the initiatives of the Government of India to increase transparency in the fertilizer distribution system. It also highlights some challenges that persist in the implementation of direct cash transfers in fertilizer and a three-step approach to resolve these challenges.

This policy brief summarizes the reforms India introduced to streamline, digitize, and transform cooking gas subsidy from an in-kind to a cash transfer program.