Comparing Cash Transfer and Universal Basic Income Programs

The Rajasthan government on July 21 passed the Right to Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill, 2023, a legislation that has been hailed as a ‘historic’ step towards the fulfilment of a state’s social security obligations towards citizens. The Bill has three key elements: a right to guaranteed employment, right to a minimum guaranteed income – which is not to be confused with a minimum income guarantee, or what is known as Universal Basic Income or UBI – and a right to guaranteed minimum social security pension.

Rajasthan already has a MGNREGA-based employment scheme and other welfare schemes going. So what was the need for a law like this? Is this an example of what Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to as ‘revdi’? And how will the Rajasthan government raise the resources for what is evidently a rights-based welfare measure?

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