Freebie culture: A perilous trap for unsuspecting people, India’s economy

In recent years, one of the most debated subjects is the freebie culture pursued by political parties in India. As politics become more competitive, political parties and their leaders seem to outdo each other with these electoral promises. Freebies such as foodgrains, transportation, water, electricity, electronics items, specific equipment, etc, are offered through political manifestos for wooing voters. Sometimes liquor and money are also added to the list. Indeed, as elections approach, political parties compete with each other for offering such freebies. Voters are majorly unaware of the risks lurking behind such ‘free’ offers. The momentary benefit is measured beyond the consequences. The wooing of voters becomes an ultimate target for most political parties. The Election Commission has no major control over such manifestos as they have no expertise to evaluate the consequences of such freebies. Whenever complaints are raised about manifestos, the Election Commission issues some observations in a generic nature within the framework of the Constitution. Political parties agree on certain cosmetic corrections and then it is floated back into the public domain as a wooing stick. India’s freebie culture is moving towards economic disaster and the consequential damages will hit the economy sooner than later. The long and short impact of such a culture will disintegrate the economic ambitions of the country and kill people’s motivation to work. The government’s reservations about employment and education are based on constitutional provisions for the uplift of the socially underprivileged. Article 39 (a) says that citizens have the right to an adequate means of livelihood. Article 36 (b) adds that material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good. There are clear directives to overcome economic inequality. Article 38 secures social order for the promotion of the welfare of the people. However, our political parties offer unilateral offers irrespective of the social or economic condition of the people. India needs to be extremely careful about the intent and the outcome. Sri Lanka’s economic crises taught us a lesson: that a revenue deficit crisis may lead to an economic collapse. Regional parties have a bigger role to play. As per an RBI report on fiscal deficit, the highly stressed states are Bihar, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, and West Bengal.

In a force majeure scenario like a pandemic, free foodgrain and vaccination drives at the mass level help. But in a normal economic cycle, the freebie must be allocated to the needy alone. The marginalised must get his share without fail but identifying the needy is a government prerogative with the help of experts. As per the Supreme Court, the freebie culture tends to shake the roots of a free and fair election. The SC bench, presided over by the then Chief Justice NV Ramana, stated that the panel must weigh the benefits and drawbacks of freebies because they have a “significant impact on the economy”. A recent example of the American Supreme Court’s rejection of the waiver of educational loans proposed by President Joe Biden is a good example of how the court should intervene in such populist measures. Sometimes our political parties offer waiver of loans during the election which gives a wrong message and enticement to the defaulters. The gap between rich and poor is shooting up, and it needs to be tackled immediately. Our greatest assets are youth voters who analyse and articulate matters telescopically without compromising on the microscopic analysis. The prime minister’s vision for India’s transition to the third largest economy is not far, and as he articulated, we foresee the world benefiting from India’s growth story. Time is ripe in India for a nation-first freebie policy with humanitarian outlooks. The author is an independent columnist. Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.