From Frustration to Launch — The Story of Samagra ID
It all started in early 2023. I was working on a side project in the social-tech space, helping non-profits in Madhya Pradesh connect with families in remote districts. I noticed a recurring problem: each scheme required a different ID, a different database. Families would show up with a stack of papers, officials would flip between spreadsheets, and somehow eligible people still slipped through the cracks.
One afternoon, during a field visit in a small village, I met Rani, a mother of three. She was eligible for two welfare schemes MPTAAS scholarship and Ladli Behna but couldn’t access one of them because her name was spelled differently in two government databases. She looked at the pile of forms, sighed, and said: “Why do I need to prove who I am again for the same benefit?”
That question stuck with me.
Back home in Italy, I started sketching ideas. What if there were one identifier that could unify a family’s records, tie individuals across schemes, and cut the friction? I called it Samagra ID. “Samagra” in Hindi means “complete” or “whole” — because the idea was to build something holistic.
I partnered with a few local NGOs in Madhya Pradesh to validate the need. Through interviews and workshops, the feedback kept coming: duplication of records, time wasted, data errors, trust issues. The friction was real. It existed. And people like Rani were putting up with it every day.
With that insight, I built the first version: a simple toolkit that let an organisation issue a Samagra ID to a family, link individuals under it, and connect to multiple service databases. The MVP was rough — just a login, a dashboard with family and individual cards, and CSV export. But it worked.
On a rainy May morning, we launched a waiting list. Within two weeks we had dozens of NGOs and local offices sign up. They appreciated the promise of less paperwork, fewer head-scratches, and clearer records.
Now in 2024, Samagra ID is live with more than 5,000 families using it across three districts. We’ve cut average processing time for new scheme enrollment from 45 minutes to 18, and two pilot offices reported zero duplicate entries for six months in a row.
Why am I working on Samagra ID? Because every person — whether in a remote village or a suburban town — deserves to be recognized once and for all. Because it shouldn’t take mountains of paperwork just to access a benefit you’re eligible for. Because the frustration Rani voiced is shared by thousands, and I believe tech can smooth that path.
If you’re a builder, NGO worker, or government liaison frustrated with legacy systems, come check it out here on Indie Hackers and let’s make identity simple together.
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