Development Pathways (27.01.2025) Who would’ve guessed that one of the boldest moves in designing social security benefits would come from—not even a country—but a state in India called Jharkhand? For those unfamiliar, Jharkhand is one of India’s poorest states,¹ nestled in the country’s eastern region, often making headlines for its mineral wealth rather than groundbreaking social policy. Yet here we are, talking about Jharkhand as the unlikely pioneer of what can only be described as a “‘Semi-UBI”: a universal basic income, but just for women aged 18 to 50. The recently revamped and relaunched Maaiya Samman Yojana is a universal, tax-financed social security benefit provided to all women in the selected age group across the state.² Simple as that: no complicated targeting mechanism or elaborate eligibility criteria, just a source of financial assistance that will be easily accessible to a high proportion of the female population. The central objective of the benefit is to empower women and improve their socio-economic conditions.³ It’s mainly aimed at mothers (which is why women of reproductive age were chosen), providing much-needed support in a state where life is far from easy for most families.