With reference to the ‘Parley’ column, “What distinguishes welfare measures from freebies?” one has to appreciate the clear distinction between welfare measures undertaken by State governments and the Centre and the freebies that serve a limited purpose of luring voters with inducements. The overarching purpose of welfare measures is to create an egalitarian society and ensure a level-playing field by providing a leg up to the have nots who would otherwise have been left to languish without any kind of succor. The welfare measures initiated by the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government are as different from freebies as chalk from cheese. Furthermore, some of these measures are not directed at any particular section of society and are intended to benefit all classes. When the late Jayalalithaa was in power in Tamil Nadu, she went on an overdrive to woo voters by providing consumer durables, clothes etc. all duly delivered with her smiling visage prominently displayed. Au contraire, Mr. Kejriwal has never sought to derive political mileage out of his welfare measures and has only revealed a genuine interest in uplifting those who richly deserve it. In spheres like education, for instance, he has broken the back of the education mafia that thrives on squeezing the last penny from parents, irrespective of their financial backgrounds, by continuously monitoring the fee tariffs. The AAP government has been voted to power with an overwhelming mandate thanks largely to its abiding interest in the people and their welfare.
C.V. Aravind,
Bengaluru
To make a distinction between welfare and non-welfare measures is essential, however blurred it may be, as the reality in the Indian context is that the fiscal space available is very narrow and the public spending needs to be judicious to strike a balance between welfare and development. The measures such as free electricity, water, public transport, Amma canteens, etc. would definitely fall under welfare category, whereas the distribution of grinders, television sets, etc. should be categorised as freebies. To rationalise distribution of goods such as grinders with arguments like “it gives people more time to pursue other things” may be a bit far-fetched. For that matter, anything distributed free in material form, other than food items, should be considered as a freebie. Freebies tend to corrupt the voters and make them get addicted to such measures and even vitiate the electoral processes. Whereas welfare measures would be seen as actions expected from a democratic state designed to raise the living standards of the economically backward.
The families of poor patients sleeping on the footpaths outside government hospitals is a very common sight throughout India and needs government attention. If the government provides these families with free or subsidised food and shelter for the limited period of hospitalisation of the patients, it will be a good welfare measure. Instead of allowing political parties to convert the welfare measures such as free electricity, water, transport, etc. into vote-catching instruments at the time of elections, there should be a Central law to implement these welfare measures uniformly throughout the country based on economic criteria.
Kosaraju Chandramouli,
Hyderabad
