The larger canvas
Universal Basic Income – A public policy debate.
There has been a new wave of global debate to move towards a fiscally neutral Universal Basic Income (UBI) by eliminating food and fuel subsidies. Earlier, Economic Survey – FY17 too had mooted a policy idea on UBI that ensures that every citizen has a right to meet their basic needs as a long-term solution to reduce poverty. In a large country with population of 1.3 billion, of which nearly 260 million are below poverty line, adapting UBI may be difficult but a policy debate assumes more significance. More particularly when India ranked 100th position in serious group of countries among 119 listed on Global Hunger Index (GHI) - 2017 according to the report by Washington based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).