Delhi: The year 2019 started on a happy note for LPG users especially the middle class. The Modi government has slashed the price by Rs 120.50 on non-subsidized cylinders. The new price of the cylinder which was earlier Rs 809.50, will now be Rs 689 with effect from January 1, 2019.

The Modi government has also cut the price of subsidized cylinders by Rs 5.91 rupees which will now be available at Rs 494.99 after this diminutive deduction. Apart from this, the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had indicated that the 18% slab in goods and services tax (GST) could be abolished. They also indicated that in the future there will be only slabs of 0% and 5% as standard slabs.The Central government also mulls on implementing the Universal Basic Income (UBI) in the country.

What is the Universal Basic Income According to the Basic Income Earth Network, a universal basic income is a “periodic cash payment unconditionally delivered to all on an individual basis, without means-test or work requirement.”

In other words, every citizen in the country would be entitled to a periodic payment, regardless of differences in social or economic positions. You wouldn’t have to prove your unemployment status or your socio-economic identity to be eligible for the income.

From the government side, this would mean massive shift in the way it spends the revenue that it receives through taxation. Currently the money that the government earns through taxation and other revenue sources are used to fund the various services that the government provides, as well as the welfare subsidies it pays for. A universal income would mean the government moving away from service delivery and instead simply providing people with the money to access those services.

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