Government likely to consider dole for jobless poor in Budget
WELFARE MATHS
NEW DELHI: The government could consider in this year’s Budget a targeted cash dole of `5,000 a year for each jobless person from the poorest sections of society.
But to implement the scheme the government will have to dig into funds for a host of subsidies such as food, health and fuel.
The unemployment benefit is planned as a substitute for the universal basic income (UBI), which some countries are considering but India doesn’t have funds to go ahead with.
“We don’t have the money to introduce UBI. Even if we consider UBI at the value of the poverty line and that would mean 12.5% of the GDP. It’s not possible,” a top government official said.
The UBI is a form of social security in which residents of a Unemployed* country will regularly receive a sum of money from the government or public institutions.
It wasn’t clear how funds would be generated. But if any of the current subsidies are done away with to pay the jobless, it could trigger political and public outrage.
The Niti Aayog, the government’s 2015-16 (amount in ` crore) FOOD
FERTILIZER PETROLEUM OTHERS think tank which replaced the planning commission, is working on the monthly social security scheme for the unemployed from poor families, especially those below the poverty line. The stipend works out to a little above `416 a month.
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