Meloni causes a tsunami of reactions with the elimination of basic income

The prime minister of Italy, Giorgia Melonihas fulfilled one of the main promises of his electoral campaign, to eliminate the Citizen Income. A measure that has aroused much controversy both among Italians and in the opposition. The program offered a subsidy to both individuals and families living in poverty, indefinitely until they found work.

The Citizen Income was established in 2019 by the Executive of Giuseppe Conte, of the leftist 5 Star Movementyes, and already highly criticized at that time for Meloni. The Italian leader has defended that this aid has the opposite effect and discourages the search for work. In fact, there have been multiple cases of fraud or of people who have decided to reject a position because they received more money through the Citizen Income.

The removal of this basic income was announced by Meloni on the occasion of Working Women’s Day, but the controversy has resurfaced when recalling its entry into force by SMS. Around 160,000 families found themselves with a text message reminding them that the aid was coming to an end on January 1.

Instead, the italian government has raised two new tools. Meloni has presented the “inclusion allowance”which will come into force as of January for families that the Executive considers more fragile: those in which there is at least one minor, a person with a disability or a person over 60 years of age.

To which must be added a second tool called «Support for Training and Work», which takes into account those families in which at least one individual is able to work. This new help poses a series of requirements: such as actively seeking employment or attending job training courses.

Criticisms and reactions

Despite the measures applied to alleviate the effects of the suspension of the Citizen Incomecriticisms of the management of Meloni They have not been kept waiting. Former Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Contereproached the Executive that suspending the basic income is unleashing “an ideological war with the skin of the poor.”

According to the former prime minister, “the suspension of aid is revenge against the M5S” and he predicted that there will be tensions during the autumn. In this sense, the leader of the opposition, the socialist Elly Schleinwho has accused Meloni of further impoverishing the poor “with a text message.”

south of Italy –region most benefited by the Citizen Income– has also responded with demonstrations. In Naples there have been protests outside the offices of the Social Security to complain about the suspension of aid. However, Meloni was very clear from the beginning: “The State must help these people to get a job”, while, according to the Prime Minister, the subsidy only has the opposite effect.