The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South rolls are administered through the MIS, this could have been easily automated and computed to ensure workers are paid their statutory dues, but the omission is by design to escape accountability. In addition to the denial of wages, the MIS has also been employed to deny the right to work itself, as evidenced by the arbitrary cap of 20 open works per Panchayat introduced on NREGASoft from July 2022. A work is considered “open” until all processes relating to it have been completed, including wage payment, material costs etc. This technical intervention leads to workers being denied work under NREGA, given the MIS does not allow for new muster rolls to be issued if there are already twenty open works in the Panchayat. Moreover, it goes against the principles of decentralisation and democratic participation fundamental to MGNREGA, wherein works are to be planned and executed at the Panchayat level in consultation with the Gram Sabha based on local needs. But the imposition of the 20-works ceiling undermines the authority of the Gram Sabha, diminishes the role of the people in providing for their infrastructural needs, and makes NREGA a top-down scheme at the behest of the government in power. The absence of physical muster rolls also means workers do not have any proof of the actual number of workdays completed by them, or worse, they themselves are not aware of discrepancies in their attendance. 92 Two other technologies introduced in the name of “citizen oversight” and “preventing fraud” in MGNREGA are digital attendance through the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) and wage payment using the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS). NMMS requires time-stamped, geo-tagged photos to be uploaded from the worksite twice a day (minimum four hours apart) as evidence of workers’ attendance, which can be a herculean task in remote rural areas having poor internet infrastructure and low digital literacy. Previously, MGNREGA attendance was captured by Mates on physical muster rolls which enabled workers to inspect the muster rolls before signing or putting their thumbprint on it. But with attendance now being recorded solely through the NMMS app, accessible only through the Mates’ login, it has effectively done away with workers’ oversight altogether. The absence of physical muster rolls also means workers do not have any proof of the actual number of workdays completed by them, or worse, they themselves are not aware of discrepancies in their attendance. ABPS, on the other hand, involves a cumbersome process of seeding the worker’s job card and bank account with Aadhaar as well as connecting their bank account with the NPCI mapper. This involves meeting Platformed Lives: Technology, Accountability, and the Reshaping of Everyday Work The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South stringent KYC requirements where even minor discrepancies in spelling of names, addresses etc. lead to failure. Thousands of workers have not been paid for work done by them either due to their attendance not being marked on NMMS or for not being ABPS-compliant. Moreover, ABPS has resulted in widespread deletion of job cards, with 9 crore workers’ names deleted since 2022. Street Vendors and Digital Dispossession in the Informal Economy Street vending sustains the urban economy and provides livelihoods to millions who remain excluded from formal employment. Recognizing this, the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 was a landmark victory, one that codified the right to vending and institutionalized participatory governance through Town Vending Committees (TVCs). The law’s spirit is rooted in inclusion, decentralization, and democratic oversight. Yet, across India, its implementation remains mired in bureaucratic opacity and administrative inertia. In Meghalaya, the Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association (GSPHSVA) has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure that this progressive legislation is realized in both letter and spirit. Representing vendors in the Town Vending Committee, the association has long advocated for transparent and accountable systems-especially for conducting the in-situ survey, the first and most crucial step in identifying existing vendors and recognizing their legal right to livelihood. Historically, this process has been fraught with manipulation, exclusion, and administrative chaos. To address these challenges, the Association supported the idea of a digital survey that could ensure accuracy, legitimacy, and real-time accountability through features such as acknowledgement receipts, unique tracking numbers, and public disclosure of survey results. However, the promise of this digital intervention quickly unraveled. Despite a public expenditure of nearly Rs 10 lakh, the survey system failed to generate even the most basic transparency tools. No real-time receipts were issued, no tracking numbers were assigned, and most critically, the full Despite a public expenditure of nearly Rs 10 lakh, the survey system failed to generate even the most basic transparency tools. No real-time receipts were issued, no tracking numbers were assigned, and most critically, the full survey data was never disclosed. Platformed Lives: Technology, Accountability, and the Reshaping of Everyday Work 93