Jackpot Or Jumla?
India Today|April 8, 2019

Rahul Gandhi’s minimum income guarantee promise to the country’s poorest has caused more than a flutter in the BJP camp. Will the Rs 3.6 lakh crore scheme prove to be the Congress’s trump card or is it just empty talk?

Kaushik Deka
Jackpot Or Jumla?

It was a chilly winter evening in 2016. India was debating demonetisation while Uttar Pradesh—electorally the most significant state in the country—was gearing up for assembly election a few months away. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had just returned from the state after “witnessing people’s hardships” because of the Narendra Modi government’s decision to render two high-value currency notes illegal. He called some of his party’s top leaders and asked them what they thought of the feasibility of a direct cash transfer scheme to ensure a minimum income for India’s poor. A little over two years later, the Congress has not only firmed up this idea, but also offered it as its biggest promise ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. On March 25, Rahul announced that if voted to power at the Centre, a Congress government would unconditionally give 20 per cent of the country’s poorest of poor households a sum of Rs 72,000 annually or Rs 6,000 every month. He claimed the Congress’s Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY), or minimum income guarantee (MIG) scheme, would benefit 50 million households or approximately 250 million people (assuming five members per family).

Denne historien er fra April 8, 2019-utgaven av India Today.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April 8, 2019-utgaven av India Today.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA INDIA TODAYSe alt
Killer Stress
India Today

Killer Stress

Unhealthy work practices in Indian companies are taking a toll on employees, triggering health issues and sometimes even death

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 25, 2024
Shuttle Star
India Today

Shuttle Star

Ashwini Ponnappa was the only Indian to compete in the inaugural edition of BDMNTN-XL, a new international badminton tourney with a new format, held in Indonesia

time-read
1 min  |
November 25, 2024
There's No Planet B
India Today

There's No Planet B

All Living Things-Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) returns with 72 films to be screened across multiple locations from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8

time-read
2 mins  |
November 25, 2024
AMPED UP AND UNPLUGGED
India Today

AMPED UP AND UNPLUGGED

THE MAHINDRA INDEPENDENCE ROCK FESTIVAL PROMISES AN INTERESTING LINE-UP OF OLD AND NEW ACTS, CEMENTING ITS REPUTATION AS THE 'WOODSTOCK OF INDIA'

time-read
2 mins  |
November 25, 2024
A Musical Marriage
India Today

A Musical Marriage

Faezeh Jalali has returned to the Prithvi Theatre Festival with Runaway Brides, a hilarious musical about Indian weddings

time-read
2 mins  |
November 25, 2024
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
India Today

THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

Nikhil Advani’s adaptation of Freedom at Midnight details our tumultuous transition to an independent nation

time-read
2 mins  |
November 25, 2024
Family Saga
India Today

Family Saga

RAMONA SEN's The Lady on the Horse doesn't lose its pace while narrating the story of five generations of a family in Calcutta

time-read
2 mins  |
November 25, 2024
THE ETERNAL MOTHER
India Today

THE ETERNAL MOTHER

Prayaag Akbar's new novel delves into the complexities of contemporary India

time-read
2 mins  |
November 25, 2024
TURNING A NEW LEAF
India Today

TURNING A NEW LEAF

Since the turn of the century, we have lost hundreds of thousands of trees. Many had stood for centuries, weathering storms, wars, droughts and famines.

time-read
1 min  |
November 25, 2024
INDIA'S BEATING GREEN HEART
India Today

INDIA'S BEATING GREEN HEART

Ramachandra Guha's new book-Speaking with Nature-is a chronicle of homegrown environmentalism that speaks to the world

time-read
3 mins  |
November 25, 2024