Suhani Bhatia
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Independent analysis · 2026

What ₹5 crore can and cannot buy

Independent technical work · Excel programme model · sensitivity

The underlying programme is assisted welfare access for informal migrants in three Mumbai wards: the strategy described in On the lists, not at the counter. This page is the workbook.

The conservative case raises unit cost from ₹2,000 to about ₹4,200.
Conservative12,000 served · ₹4,167/benefitBase25,000 served · ₹2,000/benefitUpside35,000 served · ₹1,429/benefit

Author estimates for an independent strategy model. Workbook: Inputs, Assumptions, Population, Coverage, Cost, Scenarios, Sensitivity. See artefacts.

SheetWhat it holds
InputsGrant ₹5 cr, 24 months, 3 wards, 10% M&E.
AssumptionsUnit cost, conversion from reach to receipt, staff load.
PopulationInformal workers under ₹15,000/month, majority interstate: planning totals, author estimates.
CoverageEligible → reachable → enrolled → successful receipt.
CostFixed (tech, M&E, partnership) and variable (desk, casework).
ScenariosConservative, base, upside.
SensitivityUnit cost and conversion each moved ±30%.

Sensitivity: if conversion from reach to receipt falls by 30% in the base case, successful benefits drop from 25,000 to 17,500 and unit cost rises from ₹2,000 to about ₹2,860. If unit cost itself rises 30%, the 25,000 target is not credible at ₹5 crore. Those two switches are the ones a donor should watch in months 0–3.

Independent analysis. Author estimates. CSV is auditable line by line.

Download CSV workbook