India: Government announces major move in the direction of basic income guarantee

by | Dec 9, 2012 | News

India’s ruling coalition government suddenly and unexpectedly announce a major move in the direction of a basic income guarantee by replacing many transfer and expanding them into a cash transfer program. The government will begin phasing-in the program on January 1, 2013. Details are sketchy at this point. According the New York Times, “The plan is to replace existing pensions, scholarships and subsidies on household items by directly disbursing cash to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts. It could apply to 720 million people.”

A group of private NGOs has been conducting a pilot project on basic income in India for over a year. It is unknown the extent to which this project influenced the government’s decision. But, according to Guy Standing, one of the principle researchers on the project, members of their team have been requested for television interviews and newspaper articles are pouring out about the new decision.

For more on the issue see:
Bal, Hartosh Singh, “Will Vote for Rupees,” The New York Times, December 7, 2012
https://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/07/indias-cash-transfer-for-the-poor-is-an-electoral-gambit/?ref=opinion

SUSTAINABLE ECONOMICS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY TELESEMINAR SERIES

by | Oct 3, 2012 | News

The first two sessions are now available as replay, both slides and audio.  Here are the links: (You may need to Control Click on the URL or copy and paste into your browser.)

August 5 – Session One – https://instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=33395637

I. Economics and Conscious Evolution – series overview; Module 1 of Land Rights online course;  land rights and the person/planet relationship;  PROUT’s social psychology and evolution of the social cycle.

Guest Speakers: Michael Towsey (Australia), Acharya Santosananda (India)

September 2 – Session Two – https://attendthisevent.com/?eventid=32626596

II. The Wealth Divide – poverty and economic inequality within the US and Africa; The Enclosures; the “resource curse” and the corruption of economics; the “law of rent”; addressing the land problem; cooperatives.

Guest Speakers: Gordon Abiama (Nigeria), Acharya Maheshverananda (Venezuela)

Date, theme and speakers for upcoming Session Three:

October 7

III. Sharing the Commons – separative consciousness and genocide; unity consciousness and commoning; property rights paradigm shift; land value capture and commons trusts; jubilee justice public finance policies; sharing and caring for each other and the world’s resources.

Guest Speakers: Kevin Annett (Canada), Lisinka Ulatowska (Netherlands)

Date and Time: Sunday, October 7th at 4:00pm Eastern, 1:00pm Pacific, 9:00pm UK

(For other time zones you can go to the online World Clock.)
To attend go to:
https://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventID=33631509

PIN Code (session ID): 090366# (if required)

This mode of access enables you to listen to the webcast and view the slides. You may communicate with us via typing into the Question and Answers box.

To prepare for Session Three you may scroll through Module Three of the Land Rights Course here: https://www.course.earthrights.net Your  free Land Rights course access is included with the teleseminar. This is the password: earthrights.  Please let us know if you have any difficulty accessing the course.

Also, please do your best to find time to view HIDDEN NO LONGER, a film about our guest speaker Kevin Annett and the Canadian genocide of Native American children who attended church and state sponsored schools.   Http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=9vNW9meqny4&feature=endscreen

We suggest that you print out this page and post it as a reminder to join us on October 7th.

Thank you for your interest in the Sustainable Economics Teleseminars!

From co-hosts Wendell Fitzgerald and Alanna Hartzok and the Conscious Evolution Teleseminar Group.

(If you are not yet registered for this teleseminar series you may do so by contacting alanna(at)earthrights.net)

INDIA: Basic Income Pilot Project Finds Positive Results

INDIA: Basic Income Pilot Project Finds Positive Results

by | Sep 22, 2012 | News

Over more than a year, India’s Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) with support from UNICEF has been conducting a cash transfer pilot project in rural villages. They have just released some of their preliminary findings, and results are extremely encouraging.

The study was conducted in 20 rural villages in India. Adult residents of 8 of those villages received a cash transfer of 200 Rupees (about US$3.75) per month. Children received 100 Rupees. Residents of the other 12 villages were observed as a “control group” as in a medical trial. The money was distributed unconditionally. Residents were told they could do whatever they wanted with the money.

Positive results were found in terms of nutrition, health, education, housing and infrastructure, and economic activity. The researchers found that the cash transfer group spent significantly more on eggs, meat, and fish than the control group. Researchers found a positive impact on health and access to medical treatment. The most visible impact of the study was on educational attainment. Researchers found increased spending on school-related items such as school uniforms, school fees, shoes for school, books, school supplies, and private tuition. School attendance in the cash transfer villages shot up, three times the level of the control villages. Performance in school improved significantly relative to control villages. There was increased investment in housing, such as the installation of in-door plumbing. Twice the number of cash transfer households started new activity over the study period as those in non-cash transfer villages.

SEWA has released a video explaining the results and including interviews with participants in the study. Watch it here.