While grappling with high debt levels in a post-Covid-19 pandemic slowly reviving economy, Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin has sought the views of global economic experts on how effectively a ‘Universal Basic Income Scheme’ could be implemented in Tamil Nadu without denting its finances. The DMK in the 2021 Assembly election manifesto had committed to implementing a scheme for payment of a monthly ‘Basic Entitlement Income (BEI) of Rs.1,000 to every housewife in the State, targeting the ‘genuinely poor’ among them. The Government has in the recent Budget initiated an exercise to identify ‘eligible households’ under the scheme. Keeping this in mind, Mr. Stalin in his second meeting with the members of the Chief Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, comprising eminent Our Bureau CM MK Stalin’s 2nd meeting with Economic Advisory Council THE RISING SUN international economic experts, constituted by him after coming back to power, on October 25 through video-conference from Chennai, urged them to share their views on the best possible and costeffective way to implement such a basic income scheme for housewives. Dr. Raghuram Rajan, former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Economics Nobel Ms. Esther Dufflo, Development Economist, Jean Dreaze, Former Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India, Dr. Arvind Subramanian and former Union Finance Secretary, Dr. S. Narayan, were among those who participated in the videoconference alongside Tamil Nadu Finance and Human Resources Management Minister, Mr.P.T.R. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, and other State officials. Referring to the Annual Economic Survey for the year 2016-17 of the Government of India then authored by Dr. Aravind Subramanian, the Chief Minister pointed out it contained a separate chapter on a ‘Universal Basic Income’ scheme. “I am keen to know the views of all of you to implement a similar scheme in Tamil Nadu without eroding our finances,” he said. Mr. Stalin’s first meeting with distinguished members of his Economic Advisory Council, took place in Chennai on July 9. “You had all flagged several constructive suggestions...