Ahead of the Assembly election in 2019, Sikkim’s ruling party, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) recently included a manifesto in their election campaign which is to implement the Universal Basic Income by 2022. If everything goes according to the plan, it will be the first state to implement UBI in India.
The state goes to polls simultaneously with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in April-May and Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, the longest serving chief minister in India who has been in office since 1994, seeks to be re-elected.
The state has already begun the process of introducing the unconditional direct cash transfer scheme which aims to benefit the complete population of the state which is around 7 lakh.
What is Universal Basic Income?
Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a form of social security model for providing all citizens of a country or other geographic area with a given sum of money, regardless of their income, resources or employment status. The main idea behind UBI is to prevent or reduce poverty and increase equality among citizens.
As per Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN), the essential principle behind Universal basic income is the idea that all citizens are entitled to a livable income, irrespective of the circumstances they’re born in.
Speaking to a national Daily, Prem Das Rai, SDF MP in the Lok Sabha said “UBI is a scheme that a number of economists have talked about and it works well in developing countries. It has been tested even in India, debated within the Finance Ministry as early as 2017.”
According to the reports, the 2017 Economic Survey had flagged the UBI scheme as “a conceptually appealing idea” and a possible alternative to social welfare programmes targeted at reducing poverty.
The SDF lawmaker suggested that the funds would come from Sikkim’s successful implementation of hydropower projects which have made it a surplus power generating state.
