Easier handing out a dole than securing a livelihood

A helping hand to secure a livelihood is perhaps more meaningful than handing out a dole. But, you will see the streets littered with styrofoam plates now and again from a meal that was distributed free by some affluent sinner. The one-time freebie psyche is all pervading among the ultra-rich, which incidentally incudes the government as well. Rather than making it the purpose of their lives to upgrade the skill-sets of the poor with intense education and training, followed by new employment opportunities, the rich look to control a larger number of assets, through inheritance, monopoly and crony capitalism. But as their empires broaden, the rich fear unrest among the poor. To keep things at simmer, an inconsequential dole from an unending stream of wealth seems the easy way out. And as capitalism sees it, every poor man, however useless he/she may be, is still a consumer. In a nation that is still ridden with intense poverty, why then is inequality rising to a degree where the top 1 per cent of India’s population own 73 per cent of the nation’s wealth¹? How have the policy makers brought it to such an impasse? The present government has been tinkering with the idea of universal basic income² (UBI). If one follows the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Public Distribution System (PDS), Atal Pension Yojana and the very new Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan³ the seemingly new UBI does not strike to be unique. In an era where internet is the new fire and artificial intelligence has the potential to replace traditional skill sets, it is time India reshaped its policies beyond the UBI. A concerted effort to augment livelihood is the only way that can help build a resilient and peaceful society.

¹Oxfam, 2018. Reward work, not wealth, Available at: https://bit.ly/2LyShqc

²Mishra, H., 2018. Universal basic income soon? Modi govt to bring scheme, sources say  Available at: https://bit.ly/2CdX2BT

³Dhawan, S. 2019, Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-dhan (PMSYM) scheme: Who all can join Govt’s new pension scheme, know the launch date, get full pension chart, Available at: https://bit.ly/2O2IZEd