You need to take into account that these people are not living on absolute nil - they have some level of income, be it $1 or $.50 - so you don't need to give each of them $2/day.
The OP article noted the amount needed in the village in the beginning was $22/month, so $.75 a day, give or take 10c.
And the system for means-testing at that level would be expensive enough to run, with opportunities for graft, false-positives, and false-natives, that means-testing would be a losing proposition. Just pick a level and make sure no one is double-dipping.
You still have the problem of regional thugs that will come round every "pay day" for their taste. Or beat you up. A pretty simple variation a protection racket, but I'm not sure how to protect against it.
The OP article noted the amount needed in the village in the beginning was $22/month, so $.75 a day, give or take 10c.