- As part of the Congress manifesto for general elections 2019, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has announced that 20% of the poorest families in India would be annually given Rs. 72,000 each under the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) or minimum income guarantee scheme, if his party was voted to power.
- Under the NYAY, the income threshold has been fixed at Rs. 12000 per month. The government would pay the difference.
- The proposed minimum income guarantee scheme is in the same line as a universal basic income (UBI) scheme.
- UBI is a minimum income (direct cash transfers) delivered by the state unconditionally to every individual every month. It is premised on the belief that every person should have a right to a basic income to cover their needs, just by virtue of being citizens.
- The concept of UBI got prominence in India, after the Economic Survey of 2017 promoted the idea of UBI as “a conceptually appealing idea” and a possible alternative to social welfare programs targeted at bringing down poverty. . Economic Survey had outlined three components of UBI–universality, unconditionality and agency.
