New Delhi, January 11: After 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections in the general category in government jobs and higher educational institutions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government may announce a universal basic income (UBI) for those below the poverty line (BPL) and more sops for farmers. The government is likely to announce these schemes in the upcoming budget session starting January 31.

According to a report, the government is likely to announce a UBI of Rs 2,500 per month initially to families below the poverty line. The money would be directly transferred to bank accounts of the identified families. Persons below the poverty line are estimated to be 27.5 per cent of the country’s population. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised to implement a UBI before assembly elections in Rajasthan. Farmers Showed Narendra Modi Their Strength in Recent State Elections, Says Rahul Gandhi in Jaipur.

For farmers, who comprise 47 per cent of the country’s population, the government is exploring the possibility of implementing a programme like Telangana’s Rythu Bandhu scheme where farmers tilling less than an acre of land would be given Rs 4,000 per acre, or a proportion thereof depending on the size of land holding, for each of the two cropping seasons — Rabi and Kharif, reported Indian Express. Farm Loan Waivers Do Not Benefit Majority of Farmers, Says Narendra Modi.

State governments would update land records with the recognised tenancy to ensure only needy farmers get benefitted. The government is also considering the possibility of providing interest-free loan up to Rs 1 lakh for these farmers with landholding below one acre, the report said quoting sources. The schemes are being considered after the BJP lost assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 11, 2019 10:13 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).