india\'s main opposition party is promising a basic income for the poor. can it work?

On Monday, the leader of India\'s main opposition party announced that if India wins an election scheduled for this spring, his party will guarantee a minimum income for every poor person.
Rahul Gandhi\'s unexpected commitment was welcomed by supporters of the national basic income (UBI)
This is a radical policy proposal that has made continuous progress in recent years.
Under the leadership of UBI, the government provides a fixed amount of cash to everyone in society, without any conditions attached.
\"When our millions of brothers and sisters are suffering from the scourge of poverty, we cannot build a new India,\" India\'s Congress party leader Gandhi said . \".
\"If the vote comes to power in 2019, Congress promises to provide minimum income security for every poor person to help eradicate poverty and hunger. ” (
It is not clear whether Gandhi offered unconditional basic income. )
Prime Minister Modi\'s ruling BJP (BJP)
Gandhi\'s proposal was immediately rejected.
\"Where does the money come from?
A spokesman asked Reuters.
\"He promised the moon to fool the people.
Still, there is speculation in politics that the BJP will soon make a similar announcement.
The Ministry of Finance supported a basic income in India\'s 2017 Economic Survey, and many speculated about the final forecast of the Modi government.
Election budget (
Scheduled for February. 1)
Including basic income.
BJP spokesman for Economic Affairs refused to rule out this possibility when contacting time.
\"I happen to know that the leadership of the People\'s party is seriously considering [
Support basic income
Guy Standing said he is an economist and an early advocate of UBI, who has worked with Indian politicians and the US government. N.
Trial in central Indian state on 2011-
2012, of which 6,000 received basic income.
If the BJP announces their support, \"you will hear the champagne cork here . \"
In fact, it will have surprising results, he said, making basic income the official policy of the next Indian government.
Globally, this will mark a major leap forward for UBI, which has never been implemented at the national level.
The policy is considered impractical by many right-wingers.
Only initial contact in the United States. S. by left-
Left-wing politicians like Bernie Sanders
Trials in Central States are often cited by UBI\'s advocates as evidence that the program can reduce poverty more effectively than by means --
Test benefit plan.
\"Because of our pilots, we know it works,\" Standing said . \".
\"We know that it improves nutrition, health, schooling, the status of women, the status of the disabled, economic output.
But it is an incredible leap for politicians to do so.
I am obviously excited about this development.
A warning he was excited about was Gandhi\'s proposal (
Less details)
It is unlikely that it will be the kind of pure \"universal\" basic income that has been advocated for a long time, in which no matter how poor or rich, money will be given to everyone in the economy.
In Gandhi\'s speech on Monday, he promised that \"every poor person\" had a basic income and hinted at some form of means --
Tests will be included.
\"Now, our job is to convince them to make it more common,\" Standing said . \".
\"You will spend more money identifying the rich, not just giving it to everyone, and taxing the rich in some way.
For Ashwini Deshpande, India\'s leading economist at Ashoka University, where the funding will come from to fund such a project remains a problem.
She said that the current welfare plan accounts for between 5 and 10% of India\'s GDP, and the cost of basic income is similar according to current estimates.
\"In India, the existing tax system and the existing welfare plan cannot have UBI in good condition,\" she told TIME . \".
\"It certainly means a redistribution of existing subsidies, and I think it also needs to raise more resources through taxes.
If that does mean raising taxes, Congress is not open to voters, Deshpande said.
Under the leadership of current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indians have enjoyed some modest tax cuts, while the government\'s revenue has increased due to the crackdown on tax avoidance.
More importantly, Deshpande said, Gandhi\'s sudden announcement meant that there was not enough public discussion about the pros and cons of dismantling the current welfare structure and replacing it with basic income.
\"Is this a good idea if all the other plans stop?
We need to discuss it.
The answer to this question depends on whether India\'s current welfare system meets the purpose.
This is not the case, according to standing.
State subsidies that make up the welfare system are often inefficient to piece together, he said.
\"Most of these subsidies go backwards,\" he said . \"
\"In other words, they are mainly middle-income or high-income groups.
They did not contribute to growth.
\"Of the 2018 corruption index released by Transparency International on Tuesday, India ranked 78 out of 180 countries in the world.
With basic income, Standing says, \"you can cut the corrupt middleman, a notorious feature of Indian political and social life.
Both Standing and Deshpande said Gandhi\'s announcement surprised them.
Although the Congress party, which ruled India for decades after independence, has been advocating economic development and poverty eradication, it has been severely criticized for corruption scandals.
Many of India\'s welfare policies were implemented under the leadership of the government of Congress.
Standing says it has stirred up hostility within the party over the planned removal of UBI advocates.
\"Initially, Congress was the most hostile to what we did in India,\" he said . \".
But now the party has begun.
\"Congress seems to suddenly realize that these plans are not what they claim, and that a lot of people are aware of corruption.
\"An earthquake change in Indian society is the centralized identification system called aadhar, which advocates say makes basic income more viable.
The Indian government is currently promoting Aadhaar to all regions of India.
3 billion citizens, but it has been criticized for its destruction of privacy and the security of data.
The government says Aadhaar will help more Indians open bank accounts.
The need to obtain basic income payments.
He said he knew the system had its flaws and did not want to idealize it.
Nevertheless, he said it is inevitable that more and more Indians will be brought into the online world.
Whether basic income for all remains a fantasy depends on the next steps of the ruling BJP in India.
After all, of the 545 seats in the lower house of India\'s parliament, there are only 44 seats in parliament.
If the rumor is true, the BJP plans to publicize similar policies in the budget, then there will be a broad consensus on basic income before the election, which must be held before.
But even if that doesn\'t happen, Gandhi\'s speech on Monday is an important step, Standing said.
\"It is important that words have changed,\" he said.