An Empirical Analysis of Beneficiary Satisfaction with the Digital India Programme in Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

The Digital India Programme, introduced by the Government of India in 2015, is a comprehensive initiative designed to bring about a transformation in the country towards a digitally empowered society through enhancing digital infrastructure, electronic governance and citizen-centric service delivery. Although there has been significant progress in the area of digital service expansion, they have not yet been implemented effectively, especially in rural areas, due to some accessibility, inclusiveness, digital literacy, and infrastructure constraints. The present study empirically assesses the beneficiary satisfaction and awareness, accessibility, usage pattern and challenges of Digital India Programme in Andhra Pradesh. Primary data were gathered from 400 respondents using a purposive sampling technique and a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and independent sample t-tests were employed for data analysis. It has been found that 73.5% of the respondents were aware of the programme or partially aware of the programme, Aadhaar (41.8%) and the UMANG App (30.3%) were the most popular digital services used. The dominant mode of access to digital services identified was smartphone (44%). Almost 73.5% agreed that Digital India has enhanced access to government services, 89.8% felt that it saved time and cost, and 86% felt empowered by digital services. Other major implementation challenges identified in the study were poor internet connectivity (31.5%) and lack of digital literacy (41.8%). The results of statistical analysis showed that there was a significant association between the variables of satisfaction and age (