What is Temporary Basic Income? 

Temporary Basic Income is a time bound cash transfer targeted to poor and vulnerable people to provide a minimum income that helps them mitigate job or income loss during the COVID-19 crisis. TBI approach constitutes unconditional cash support to allow the most vulnerable women meet their survival needs and get empowered to their path from vulnerability to prosperity.

What is the difference between Temporary Basic Income and Universal Basic Income (UBI)?
TBI is an emergency, time-bound cash transfer to cover poor and vulnerable people during the COVID-19 crisis. UBI carries the notion of a right to income, with an undetermined duration and a coverage that is universal, and that is paid to all residents regardless of their pre-existing income levels. TBI is unpresented emergency measure for unprecedent crisis. 
 

Is TBI universal or is just for those living below or just above the poverty line?
TBI is a temporary cash assistance scheme targeted to poor and near-poor individuals – with livelihoods below a vulneratibility-to-poverty threshold, which is at least 70 per cent above the value of the poverty line. It is meant to provide a basic income above the poverty line depending on the region. These include informal workers, low-waged, women and young people, refugees and migrants, and people with disabilities. These groups are greatly unprotected by traditional social protection system and a TBI will allow them to meet their basic needs in the unprecedented COVID crisis 

How will TBI be distributed? Per household? Individuals?
TBI delivery is made on an individual basis, regardless of household composition. This avoids potential intra-household discrimination that could be particularly harmful for women’s empowerment and control of their economic resources.
 

What is the SAMBODHAN project?
Sambodhan is a directly implemented project of UNDP Nepal that aims to address socio-economic vulnerabilities, mostly of women from marginalized and excluded communities, through an approach of Temporary Basic Income in Nepal. 

Who funded this?
This project is funded by UNDP Nepal.

Where does it work?
It works in municipalities of Humla, Surkhet, Myagdi, Syangja, Saptari, Siraha, Rautahat, Kailail and Bajura district of Nepal.

Who are target groups? 
The project mainly targets to the most vulnerable women from marginalized and excluded communities. 

How are project beneficiaries identified? 
The project identifies the beneficiaries through a rigorous and scientific approach by conducting socio-economic vulnerability assessment in project locations. For an assessment, project partners with academic institution- University to conduct a neutral, academic and research-based study. Through the scoring method of each beneficiary under each indicator, ranking is done and those who scored highest from top-bottom are considered as project beneficiaries. 

How many people will be benefited through this project?
The project aims to reach out directly to 7500 the most vulnerable women while indirectly to 150,000 people through various project initiatives in 16 local government units in 9 Districts of 4 provinces in Nepal.
 

Who are the collaborating partners of this project?
The project works with Rural/ Municipalities, Pokhara university, Mid-West University, Rastriya Banijya Bank, private sectors and NGOs

What are the major achievements?
The project has been successful to support more than 3500 most vulnerable women with unconditional cash to allow them meet their survival needs and established linkages to social protection schemes like health insurance along the existing livelihood programmes of the government. 

A digital innovation tools- Socio-Economic Vulnerability Information Management System (SEVIMS) has been developed to allow local governments identify the vulnerable people and communities and respond to deliver the basic services to them to protect from any risks of vulnerabilities. 
Please visit this project webpage /nepal/projects/tbi/sambodhan to know the results achieved so far.
 

Contact
You can contact Assistant Resident Representative (Programme) and Policy Advisor Ms. Binda Magar binda.magar@undp.org and Project Coordinator Mr. Satish Pandey satish.pandey.np@undp.org to enquire more about the project and go to for more details on the project.