> Anyways, the last point, handing cash out to people, will essentially not work for the exact same reason: logistics. Not that I disagree with the broader poi

> Anyways, the last point, handing cash out to people, will essentially not work for the exact same reason: logistics. Not that I disagree with the broader point, but a number of countries have had electronic benefit transfers for years (possibly decades). Perhaps this wasn't feasible on the scale of India in the past - I don't know - but it is much more feasible now with the widespread use of mobile phones. There is probably already an Indian equivalent to the m-pesa mobile-based money transfer system in eastern Africa. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of direct, "cash"-based transfers in reducing poverty, from Joia Mukherjee (MIT Poverty Lab) and others. EBT and mobile transfers have the added benefit of significantly reducing opportunities for graft.