Day 27 – Q 1.Last mile delivery of government services to the intended beneficiary has been a key design priority of various government schemes. Discuss various measures that have been taken in this direction.

1. Last mile delivery of government services to the intended beneficiary has been a key design priority of various government schemes. Discuss various measures that have been taken in this direction.  

अंतिम लाभार्थी को सरकारी सेवाओं का अंतिम मील वितरण विभिन्न सरकारी योजनाओं की एक प्रमुख डिजाइन प्राथमिकता रही है। इस दिशा में किए गए विभिन्न उपायों पर चर्चा करें।

Introduction:

Government schemes aim at welfare of people via distribution of benefits. However, most times the benefits do not reach the intended beneficiaries rendering the schemes ineffective.

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Reasons for lack of last-mile delivery:

• Exclusion error– Eligible beneficiaries are excluded from benefits due to infrastructural issues, lack of awareness on part of people, lack of verifiable documents etc.
• Access issue– Remote areas, lack of access points, unawareness of people etc. act as impediments in effective last mile delivery.
• Leakages– Often the benefits are diverted towards other sectors or profits by middleman, for example case of urea fertilizer which was diverted to industries and across border due to its cheap price owing to huge subsidy.
• Migration– As the schemes are implemented at state level, migration of poor denies them benefits of scheme in another state.

Last mile delivery has been the key design priority because lack of it causes:

• Further impoverishment of poor
• Diversion of taxpayers money
• Drain on public exchequer
• Reduction in social economic indicators

Measures taken to ensure last mile delivery:

• PM Jan Dhan Yojana– Providing zero balance bank accounts to unbanked population has ensured their connectivity with the formal system.
• JAM trinity– Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile makes verification of beneficiary and giving information about benefits easier.
• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)– Direct transfer of subsidy to the bank accounts prevents its leakage through middlemen, eg. LPG Pahal scheme.
• Point of Sale terminal (PoS)– To prevent leakages of ration and ensure its distribution to the intended beneficiaries only and to give push to ‘One nation-One ration card’ scheme.
• Mid Day Meal scheme– That ensures distribution of food and nutrition to children as well access to education.
• Asha workers– A large network of asha workers that is helping strengthen the healthcare for rural poor women through institutional deliveries and nutritional intake.
• Promoting Self Help Groups (SHG)– There has been increased last mile delivery of credit services through SHGs by deploying its members as Banking Correspondents, as in case of Deendayal Antodaya Yojana.
• Door step delivery– Delhi Government has launched a scheme for doorstep delivery of essential government services by mobile sahayaks at a minimal fee.

Conclusion

In current times, the last mile delivery of services is being taken up in a vigorous manner through tools like Sevottam Model, Social Audit etc. Need is to further strengthen the existing measures to ensure a smooth delivery of benefits and improve governance in the country.