Conversations around cash transfers and Universal Basic Income are growing. In fact, India’s expenditure on UCTs was ₹2,80,780.5 crore in FY24-25. And yet, myths around wastage and irresponsible usage of welfare funding persist.
Growing evidence shows that untied money can help recipients increase their income, set up new businesses, invest in assets such as livestock and silver, build houses and more without wasting the money.
In this illuminating episode, Rathish Balakrishnan is joined by Pankhuri Shah and Muzamil Baig, the Co-founders of Project DEEP, as they uncover:
- Myths we have about the poor (and the rich)
- How communities actually use cash transfers to grow income and build assets
- The role of the government in enabling these schemes
- Types of transfers, their benefits and limitations, and what is needed to make them most effective
- The what and why of Universal Basic Income
Key topics covered
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- What happened in Project DEEP’s prototype in Mumbai
- Observations from pilot projects and how Pankhuri and Muzamil raised funds to carry them out
- Who benefits from unconditional cash transfers and who doesn’t
- Do cash recipients create multiplier effects on their own, or are complementary supports necessary?
- How societies and economies respond to cash transfer schemes
- Convincing donors to invest in cash transfer projects
- The role of government, different types of cash transfers, and the support Project DEEP provides
- How welfare has evolved in India and how to navigate exclusion risk
- Universal Basic Income: what it is, why it matters, and how much it should be
- Global examples and efforts toward Universal Basic Income
- What this means for philanthropy and the role it can play
*Source: Pankhuri Shah, Sarah Hathiari and Shambhu Ghatak. 2025. Unconditional Cash Transfers in India: Tracing the journey, Shaping the future. Mumbai: One Step Forward Foundation (Project DEEP). Available at https://project-deep.org/soct-report/
