-Financial Express Just ahead of the 2019 general elections dates announcement, the prime minister launched the centrally sponsored ‘Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi’ (PM-Kisan) scheme of Rs 75,000 crore for small and marginal farm families. On February 24, 2019, from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, he transferred the first installment of Rs 2,000 each (out of `6,000 per annum) into the bank accounts of 1.01 crore farm families, amounting to `2,021 crore....
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No budget for farmers -Ashok Gulati
-The Indian Express Direct income support for farmers is too late, too little The hopes of farmers for a meaningful package from the Modi government have evaporated after the announcements in the Union budget. The proposed Rs 6,000 annual direct income support to small and marginal farmers is a drop in the ocean. States like Telangana and Odisha have done much better with their Rythu Bandhu and KALIA schemes respectively. After...
More »Why everybody loves Universal Basic Income -Ankita Dwivedi Johri
-The Indian Express The Budget has promised an assured income to farmers, Rahul Gandhi a minimum income guarantee, and Sikkim a universal basic income by 2022. Back in 2016-2017, the Economic Survey said UBI was an idea whose time was ripe for discussion. As that talk picks up in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, The Indian Express parses the debate, starting from India’s only two pilot projects FINANCE Minister...
More »Government weighs options for pre-poll farm package -Vishwa Mohan
-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Will it be Telangana’s ‘Rythu Bandhu’ or Odisha’s ‘KALIA’ scheme which the Centre bets on in its much anticipated farm package ahead of general elections? Apart from these two schemes, the Centre is also looking at some proposals including area-based income compensation and waiving off premium for crop insurance and interest on loans for farmers who pay on time. The Centre’s farm options are due to...
More »Govt should launch basic income scheme: Arvind Subramanian
-The Indian Express Subramanian’s suggestions come days ahead of the Budget to be presented on February 1. Incidentally, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said his party will bring Minimum Income Guarantee for every poor person if voted to power. New Delhi: In order to tackle agrarian distress effectively, the Central government and the states should launch a basic income scheme which guarantees minimum cash transfers to all except the well-off in rural...
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