The Congress Party’s poll promise of Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) has earnestly attempted to shift the pre-election slugfest to real-world priorities. An injection of one to two per cent of GDP is undoubtedly welcome, in a country renowned for social underspending. But while details are sketchy, unless the straitjacket design of “Rs 6000 per month to 20 per cent of the poorest households” is judiciously fine-tuned, NYAY is unlikely to reap its full potential of anti-poverty or political dividends.
For one, NYAY targets a mere fifth of Indian households. For perspective, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) provides employment to
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