The research paper discusses the role of digitisation as an enabler of self-employment and socio-economic inclusion in the state of Kerala, which is economically and socio-culturally stratified. In particular, it examines how digitisation is a structural equaliser by altering access to entrepreneurship along gender, caste, and regional lines. The research has a descriptive-analytical research design and utilizes secondary data using thematic synthesis of the data, such as the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) employment surveys, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) internet penetration reports, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) gig economy data, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) policy documents, and the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) data on gender and internet access. Theoretically, the study combines the Capability Approach as advocated by Sen with Digital Inclusion Theory to create a twofold analytical perspective in evaluating digitisation as a source of human development. The results suggest that digitisation has altered the labour market in Kerala by minimising market access barriers, decentralizing populations, and enabling platform-based entrepreneurship among demographic groups with historical disadvantages. With the help of e-commerce and Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based payment systems, as well as gig economy platforms, a growing number of women, rural populations, and first-generation entrepreneurs have gained access to new opportunities. The research has impact at three levels: theoretically, the conceptualisation of digitisation as a socio-economic leveller that combines the perspectives of capability and digital inclusion with the synthesis of various credible sources of information to map the digital entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kerala; practically, it outlines policy interventions that should be undertaken to reach an equitable digital participation level, and they included the creation of inclusive digital infrastructure and the development of specific regulatory frameworks to enhance equitable digital participation.
