Indian State With 600,000 People To Conduct World's Largest Experiment In Universal Basic Income

A tiny Himalayan state bordering China is about to embark on the world's largest experiment in universal basic income.

All 610,577 citizens living in Sikkim will receive a guaranteed income, unconditionally, in lieu of cash a myriad of confusing social assistance schemes currently offered, according to the Washington Post.

"If there is one chance of it happening anywhere, it is Sikkim," said the state's sole member of India's Parliament, P.D. Rai.

Sikkim is notably progressive - being one of the first Indian states to successfully ban plastic bags, provide housing for all its citizens, and - more recently, it became India's first "organic state" by eliminating the use of pesticides and fertilizers.

Its social indexes also stand out from the rest of the country, with a literacy rate of 98 percent, and it has reduced the percentage of people living below the poverty line to about 8 percent — compared with nearly 30 percent nationally. Sikkim’s small geographic area and low population density have been responsible, in part, for its success.

Rai acknowledged that there will be challenges. “It’s a matter of political will ultimately,” he said. “With the rise of global inequality, we want to ensure that we bridge the gap.” Rai declined to reveal how much the program, which was announced ahead of upcoming elections this spring, would potentially cost the state. -Washington Post

In order to pay for the program - expected to roll out by 2022, Sikkim's tourism and power sectors will be tapped - as the Himalayan country sitting at 8,500 feet welcomes over 2.5 million visitors per year. Sikkim also generates surplus power - selling 90% of its hydropower.

India, meanwhile, has a large existing social security system - with the central government spending 5% of GDP on 950 programs ranging from free rice, housing allowances and guaranteed employment for some living in rural parts of the country. Most of these programs are poorly implemented, while corruption is rife throughout the system.

UBI has had limited success

While cash-rich Sikkim may be poised for a successful implementation of Universal Basic Income, similar schemes have enjoyed limited success around the world.

In April 2017, the government of Ontario in Canada announced a pilot project involving 4,000 people that would have cost 150 million Canadian dollars ($113 million). The project ended abruptly after a year when the local government changed and the new administration described the program as expensive and unsustainable.

In Finland, an experiment with universal basic income similarly ended last year before its completion. The trial included a $630 monthly payment to 2,000 unemployed citizens.

In the United States, meanwhile, the concept has been floated in Stockton, Calif., by its young mayor. Last year, it announced that 100 residents would receive $500 a month for 18 months. -Washington Post

Opponents of UBI have suggested that simply giving money to people will encourage laziness and mismanagement of personal finances as people spend money on wasteful items. For example:

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-17/indian-state-600000-people-conduct-worlds-largest-experiment-universal-basic-income

Boston Jewish council bars members from working with anti-Zionist Jewish groups

Jewish Community Relations Council sets up showdown with a member, the Workmen’s Circle, which signed a statement by Jewish Voice for Peace, which supports BDS

JTA — Boston’s Jewish Community Relations Council passed a resolution saying its members cannot partner with Jewish groups that are anti-Zionist, setting up a showdown with one of its members, the local branch of the Workmen’s Circle.

The resolution, approved on Thursday evening, states that working with Jewish anti-Zionist groups, specifically by co-sponsoring events or signing statements organized or co-organized by such organizations, “could be grounds for removal from the JCRC.”

The vote follows discussions that started in July, when the member group Boston Workmen’s Circle signed a statement by Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization that supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/boston-jewish-council-bars-members-from-working-with-anti-zionist-jewish-groups/

Satanic Tourism: Visitors Will Fight for a Selfie With Segovia Lucifer

Satan, the Prince of Darkness himself, has made headlines this week, as residents of the central Spanish city of Segovia have protested against the local government’s decision to install a statue portraying the devil.

The fuzz was all for nothing when a judge dismissed the complaints, and approved the installation of the bronze Lucifer. Sputnik spoke with physician Dr. Monica Lalanda for more insight on the issue.

Sputnik: What's the story behind the commission of the statue?

Monica Lalanda: The local council commissioned a statue to José Antonio Abella, who is a retired GP. The reason behind this is that they wanted to attract more tourists to an area of the town that doesn't get visits by many people.

Segovia is a town that is very well known for his aqueduct, and it receives millions of tourists per year. So there is a part of Segovia that doesn't actually attract as many people, so the council wanted to put something in that particular corner that would have made people keen in going up to the area — where you have a magnificent view of the aqueduct, in fact.

So they asked José Antonio, who has already done a large sculpture to for the town many years ago, to do it. And there was also a patron, who has paid for it; so it didn't really come at the expense of Segovia's citizens.

Sputnik: What do you think of the locals’ complaints and the scare of satanic tourism taking over Segovia?

Monica Lalanda: It really makes no sense whatsoever, there isn't such a thing as the satanic worship anywhere. The whole thing is very strange: it came out of the blue, and it's completely unexpected. Even all the political parties were in favour of this statue — and to get all the politicians to agree on something, that's already in itself something even more strange than satanic worship.

The legend is a very popular legend in Segovia; in fact, my kids, who grew up in Segovia and went to school there, learnt about it at school, as part of the history of Segovia. The story tells that there was this little girl, who was fed up of going to the river and carry her bucket of water daily.

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201901191071621788-spain-segovia-devil-statue-turism/

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