Rahul Gandhi's announcement of guaranteed minimum income 'historic': Chidambaram

Chidambaram said in the last two years, the principle of Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been discussed extensively and it's an appropriate time to adapt the principle to the country's situation and the needs and implement the same for the poor. "We will explain our plan in the Congress Manifesto," he said.

Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. FILE PIC/AFP.

New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s promise of “minimum income guarantee for poor” has been described by former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram as "historic" saying it will mark a turning point in the lives of the poor. In a series of tweets, Chidambaram said that between the years 2004 to 2014, 14 million people were pulled out from the clutches of poverty. We must make strong efforts to eliminate poverty from India. Gandhi on Monday made a major announcement by promising a minimum income guarantee for every poor person if the Congress is voted to power in the upcoming general elections. "We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers and 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 and hunger. This is our vision and our promise," he told a farmers rally here. Gandhi said that no government in the world had taken such a step. In its original concept, Indian policymakers conducted two important studies testing the impact of Universal Basic Income (UBI) through unconditional cash transfers in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi between 2011 and 2012. The experiment gave 100 randomly-selected households 1,000 rupees per month. The money was deposited under the name of the female head of participating households in a bank, reported IANS. READ: Rahul Gandhi promises minimum income guarantee to poor if Congress forms government at Centre The idea got prominence after Arvind Subramanian, as the then Chief Economic Adviser, pushed it in a big way in the pre-budget Economic Survey of 2017 which included a 40-page chapter on UBI that outlined the three components of the proposed program--universality, unconditionality and agency.

वर्ष 2004 से 2014 के बीच 14 करोड़ लोगों को गरीबी के चंगुल से बाहर निकाला गया। भारत से गरीबी का सफाया करने के लिये हमें दृढ़ता से कोशिश करनी होगी।

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 28, 2019

Chidambaram said in the last two years, the principle of Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been discussed extensively and it's an appropriate time to adapt the principle to the country's situation and the needs and implement the same for the poor. "We will explain our plan in the Congress Manifesto," he said. Chidambaram has been made the chairman of Manifesto Committee of the Congress for 2019 polls.