Leveraging JAM Infrastructure to Implement UBI

Authors

  • Sparsh Maheshwari University of Pennsylvania

Keywords:

Universal Basic Income, Poverty, Unconditional Cash Transfer, Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile, JAM

Abstract

Poverty remains a pressing global issue, and India, despite economic progress, grapples with ensuring an acceptable standard of living for all its citizens. Welfare schemes exist, but challenges like eligibility, awareness, and bureaucratic hurdles hinder their effectiveness. Universal Basic Income (UBI), an unconditional minimum income provided to all citizens, offers a promising alternative. This paper explores the feasibility of leveraging India's Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile (JAM) infrastructure for UBI implementation. JAM encompasses Jan Dhan bank accounts, Aadhaar unique digital IDs, and mobile phone penetration, creating a robust platform for direct cash transfers. The paper examines the merits of UBI, its potential impact on poverty reduction, and the suitability of JAM infrastructure for its implementation. It acknowledges limitations like digital literacy gaps and network connectivity issues and explores the need to address concerns regarding inflation and existing social safety nets. The paper concludes that UBI, if strategically implemented, will be a significant step towards achieving social justice and poverty reduction in India.

Author Biography

Sparsh Maheshwari, University of Pennsylvania

Sparsh is currently pursuing a dual degree in Non-Profit Leadership and Social Policy with Data Analytics at the University of Pennsylvania as a Social Justice Scholar.

His policy interest is understanding how Universal Basic Income and Unconditional Cash Transfers can help reduce poverty.

Previously, he was a Senior State Coordinator at the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. His primary role was to conduct field visits and coordinate with various NGOs receiving grants from the Ministry. He also worked with senior officials from the State and the Ministry to smoothly implement the various schemes the central government runs.

As a Chief Minister Good Governance Associate (CMGGA), he worked with the district administration of Hisar on various projects across education, employment, women's safety, etc. In addition, he worked on implementing a faceless, paperless and cashless service delivery model called SARAL Haryana.

Sparsh pivoted from the corporate sector and completed my post-graduation in Development Management and Leadership at the Indian School of Development Management (ISDM), where he gained the required knowledge, skills and competencies to work effectively in the development sector.

Interacting with and learning from people with diverse backgrounds but similar values is what drives him to work every day.

In his spare time, he plays Chess, reads non-fiction and watches stand-up :)




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Published

2024-06-26

How to Cite

Maheshwari, S. (2024). Leveraging JAM Infrastructure to Implement UBI. Social Innovations Journal, 25. Retrieved from https://socialinnovationsjournal.com/index.php/sij/article/view/8291

Issue

Vol. 25 (2024): Digital Empowerment: Transforming Community Growth, Health, Economic Development, and Conservation through Innovative Technologies

Section

Digital Innovation in Socio-Economic Development

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Copyright (c) 2024 Sparsh Maheshwari (Author)

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