• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Rajesh Bansal"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie India"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie India",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "South Asia",
    "India"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Domestic Politics"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media
Carnegie India

India Has Social Schemes for Poor in Crises like Covid. But It Needs a ‘Who to Pay’ Database

Large sections of India’s population are invisible to the state. That is why in crises like Covid and lockdown, we need one common social database.

Link Copied
By Rajesh Bansal
Published on Apr 23, 2020

Source: Print

In the current coronavirus crisis and the ensuing lockdown, most migrants in India find themselves suddenly jobless as factories close, supply chains shut down and services freeze. The Narendra Modi government has responded to the crisis by announcing several social protection schemes, including direct benefit transfers for certain sections of the population and free LPG refills, grains and pulses for the poor.

Read the Full Text

This article was originally published by the Print.

About the Author

Rajesh Bansal

Former Senior Adviser, Carnegie India

Rajesh Bansal was a senior adviser at Carnegie India. His research focuses on financial technologies, particularly electronic payment systems, electronic cash transfers, and digital financial services to enable inclusive development. He leads the center’s technology and society program.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    China’s Digital Yuan: An Alternative to the Dollar-Dominated Financial System

      Rajesh Bansal, Somya Singh

  • Q&A
    How Will Digital Currencies Change Wallets?

      Rajesh Bansal, Somya Singh

Rajesh Bansal
Former Senior Adviser, Carnegie India
Rajesh Bansal
Domestic PoliticsSouth AsiaIndia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • military personnel on a boat
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Achilles’ Heel of the Shield of the Americas

    By focusing only on hard security, the Shield ignores the conditions that fuel cartel power.

      • Alejandro Rodriguez
      • Kayly Ober

      Alejandro Martin Rodriguez, Kayly Ober

  • A Halting Turn: India’s Military Transformation
    Commentary
    A Halting Turn: India’s Military Transformation

    In any defense establishment, change is an ongoing process. However, despite the best of intentions, existing bureaucracies, bound by habit and years of socialization, have their limits in implementing transformative change.

      • Anit Mukherjee

      Anit Mukherjee

  • Europe far right MAGA Trump
    Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Why MAGA’s Far-Right European Ties Will Endure

    In supporting Europe’s far-right, MAGA and Russia both want the same thing: a weaker EU. Europe must defend itself without abandoning the openness these forces exploit.

      • Armida van rij

      Armida van Rij

  • People gathered in a parking lot of buses
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Iran War Has Sparked a Domestic Crisis in Kenya

    The conflict has sent economic and political shock waves through a country with no representation at the negotiating table—and Kenya is not alone.

      Georgia Schaefer-Brown, Jane Munga

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Kremlin’s Wartime Censorship Could Prove Fatal for Russia’s Beleaguered Book Industry

    Political pressure and economic headwinds are closely intertwined problems for Russian publishers and booksellers. Together, they risk propelling Russia into a “post-literate” era.

      Galina Yuzefovich

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.