Technology is undeniably a modern tool for progress, bringing with it the promise of greater efficiency and transparency. But it can’t be imposed as a one-size-fits-all solution, especially in a State like Goa, where traditional stakeholders have failed to keep pace with change due to factors beyond their control. Recent policy decisions in Goa show digital systems are being superimposed on traditional occupations with little regard for the people who depend on them.
Take the recent directive requiring farmers to purchase subsidised fertilisers exclusively through the Centre's pilot Framework for Fertiliser Sale (FFS) Mobile App. Cultivators in Goa must now register and place orders digitally to obtain essential inputs such as urea. Preventing the misuse of fertiliser subsidies is undoubtedly a worthwhile objective. However, making a smartphone the only gateway to these benefits overlooks the realities of a farming community largely composed of elderly rural cultivators and those with limited digital literacy.
The worst part is the timing. Goa’s agricultural sector is already under immense strain from adverse weather, compounded by a prolonged dry spell through July. Farmers struggling with planting crops, erratic monsoons and rising input costs are now expected to navigate past this new hurdle or make repeated trips to Zonal Agriculture Offices and fertiliser outlets simply to understand how to access their quota.
A farmer's entitlement to government support should depend on cultivating the land, not on mastering a mobile application. While deploying apprentices at distribution centres may offer temporary relief, such stopgap arrangements are no substitute for a permanent parallel offline system. There have to be dedicated helpdesks to facilitate the farmer and to ensure technology never becomes a barrier to essential agricultural inputs.
A similar disconnect is unfolding on Goa's roads with the rollout of the "Mhaje Driver" app for motorcycle taxi pilots, despite being voluntary for now. For generations, these black-and-yellow motorcycle taxis have been an unmistakable part of Goa's transport landscape. Yet the profession is already under pressure from rental bikes and changing commuting patterns. Introducing an app-based aggregator model without adequately addressing the concerns of those it is meant to serve risks deepening those challenges. A parallel system that includes aggregator and other motorcycle taxis would signal the end for the traditional “pilots”.
Many veteran pilots, some of whom have been operating since the 1980s, are simply not comfortable with smartphone-based bookings. More importantly, app algorithms fail to account for the practical realities of rural transport. A trip to remote areas may leave a pilot with little or no chance of finding a return passenger, forcing them to bear the cost of an empty journey back. Their concerns go beyond economics. Many fear that the aggregator model will gradually erode their independence, squeeze their earnings and weaken a distinctly Goan livelihood by opening the door to a competing model.
Technology is not always the problem, provided it is introduced after recognising the needs of those whose livelihoods are rooted in tradition. At a time when the government champions its Swayampoorna Goa 2.0 vision of self-reliance and grassroots empowerment, it is contradictory to create new barriers for the very farmers that embody those ideals.
Modernisation should expand opportunities, not restrict them. The government must ensure that digital platforms do not sideline traditional occupations by corporate models. Adopt technology in a way that serves people rather than displacing them.
