Arvind Subramanian: Universal Basic Income in action

Adapting Rythu Bandhu to be the future of social and agricultural policies

One question I am increasingly asked is this: yes, the Economic Survey (“A Conversation With and Within the Mahatma”) raised the profile of Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a serious option, but has it had any resonance in policy circles? Or, more starkly, is UBI actually being implemented anywhere in India? My answer is a qualified yes. Telangana’s Rythu Bandhu policy is an embryonic UBI, or rather embryonic QUBI (a quasi-universal basic income, pronounced Kyoo-Bee). And it could potentially also be the future of agricultural policy in India. Let me elaborate on both.

As the Economic Survey made clear, India