Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s announcement Monday that his party, if it comes to power at the Centre, will ensure a minimum basic income for the country’s poor was
described by Congress leaders as a “masterstroke” ahead of the Lok
Sabha elections. Rahul’s promise, made at a rally in Chhattisgarh, where
the Congress recently won an impressive victory in the Assembly
elections, is an interesting idea, but it is not entirely new.
Variations of this concept have been implemented in Telangana (Rythu
Bandhu scheme), and Odisha (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income
Augmentation, or KALIA, scheme) and the government of Jharkhand has
announced a Mukhya Mantri Krishi Yojana — all these schemes, however,
are limited to farmers.
Recently, Sikkim’s ruling party, the Sikkim Democratic Fund (SDF), announced that it would implement a Universal Basic Income
(UBI), or unconditional direct cash transfer scheme, by 2022, if it is
voted back to power in Assembly elections scheduled to be held along
with the Lok Sabha elections.
Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling of the SDF has been in power in Sikkim since 1994.
However, this is the first time that such an announcement has been
made at the national level — and it has come at a time when the
corridors of power in New Delhi are abuzz with speculation that the Narendra Modi
government is about to announce some major sops for voters this week.
Many, therefore, see Rahul’s promise as a “preemptive strike” ahead of
the government’s move.
Rahul reiterated his promise in a tweet. “We cannot build a new India
while millions of our brothers & sisters suffer the scourge of
poverty. If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a
Minimum Income Guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate
poverty & hunger. This is our vision & our promise,” he said.
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram posted on Twitter: “Congress
President Rahul Gandhi’s announcement at the farmers’ rally in
Chhattisgarh is historic and will mark a turning point in the lives of
the poor. The principle of Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been
discussed extensively in the last two years. The time has come to adapt
the principle to our situation and our needs and implement the same for
the poor. We will explain our plan in the Congress Manifesto… The poor
of India have the first charge on the resources of the country. Congress
will find the resources to implement the promise of Rahul Gandhi.”
The 2017 Economic Survey
had flagged Universal Basic Income (UBI) as “a conceptually appealing
idea” and a possible alternative to social welfare programmes targeted
at reducing poverty.
Politically, Rahul’s assurance could pay dividends to the Congress —
the party’s promise of a loan waiver and programmed for the farming
community are thought to have contributed to its victories in the
Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
With the BJP’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley,
and party chief Amit Shah having already ruled out loan waivers for
farmers, the BJP cadre has been expecting some populist measures for
rural voters. The chief of the party’s Kisan Morcha has addressed a
press conference to say that the government would make some major
announcements.
[Indian Express]
