“People of revdi (freebies) culture feel that by distributing free revdis to people, they can buy them. Together we need to defeat this thinking. Revdi culture needs to be removed from the country’s politics.” Thus spoke Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a few public meetings last year. 

Within months, as the Assembly elections came, first in Karnataka and now in five States, the Prime Minister’s party was in competition with others in announcing a gamut of ‘freebies’ in its manifestos. Gas cylinders at Rs 450 to Rs 500, annual payment of Rs. 12,000 to married women, monthly travel allowance for college-going students, 50 per cent subsidy for loans to youths, Rs. 10,000 for landless labourers and several more ‘freebies’ formed part of its manifestos. 

Not to be left out, other major contenders for power, especially the Congress, are one step ahead in presenting a long list of promises under the moniker ‘welfare schemes’. Apart from the above freebies, some of them have included free electricity up to 200 units, laptop for college students, bicycles, and so on and so forth in their manifestos for different states. In short, there is a competition among the political parties in offering various sops before the elections just as companies and shops offer heavy discounts and lucrative items before any festive season.

Why do the parties have to make such promises just before elections to woo the people? It is nothing but an admission that the so called welfare schemes, promised in the previous elections, are not improving the life of the people. It is an unmistaken acknowledgement that the common man’s life has not improved a wee bit by such measures. They continue to heavily depend on the sops offered by the governments to make ends meet. 

The so called welfare schemes are bandages over pestering wounds of poverty, leaving the basic problems underneath unsolved. Poverty eradication can be brought about through insightful planning, not through short-term measures like doling out crumbs from the public exchequer, the bulk of which is tax payers’ money.

What is lacking is increasing purchasing power in the hands of the people. As a short term measure, a minimum income guarantee scheme like transferring a particular amount directly to the poor people at the bottom of the population pyramid could work. Instead of doling out various items, which are often reported to be sub-standard and not properly used, this method would help them decide on what is most needed for bettering their life. But this could at best be a short term measure. In the long term, the governments will have to increase their expenditure on education, health and employment-generating activities. 

The lopsided distribution of wealth has a cascading impact, leaving the poor, poorer and the rich, richer. Though some are developing a loath for socialism, unacceptable level of income disparity will not help a nation to enter the comity of developed nations. The deeper the disparity, the more will be the need for distribution of freebies.

 Hence, bridging the gap between the rich and the poor will help end distribution of freebies. For this to happen, those who form the fag end of the queue will have to be given opportunities to come up in life through better education and employment opportunities. A major chunk of government expenditure should be directed for this purpose, and not wasted on freebies.