UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME SCHEME: AN ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE AND APPROACH

Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a fixed income every adult - rich or poor, working or idle - receives from government. A universal basic income is, like many rights, unconditional and universal: it requires that every person should have a right to a basic income to cover his or her needs, just by virtue of being a citizen of the country. One of the basic premises of the UBI is universality. This paper tries to argue in favour of its application to the specified group of unemployed people, instead of the whole population. This is particularly important in the backdrop of recent trend of jobless growth in Indian economy and the huge financial implications it will have if applied to whole population.