2019 polls: Why govt should aim to create jobs, not offer basic income

For all the talk of helping the poor in the next budget, politicians would do better to make the breakthrough reforms that would create jobs

During election season, which we’re entering in India, everyone likes the idea of giving voters more money. Congress Party President Rahul Gandhi, the de facto opposition leader, says his party will guarantee a minimum income for the country’s poor if victorious. Reports suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government may compete by announcing some form of direct transfer of cash to farmers in the interim budget to be revealed on Friday, which could cost the exchequer nearly $10 billion annually.

 

While governments everywhere should