By Kairav Shah
Elections in India are scrutinised for many reasons, but in recent times they have been shrouded in one key topic of debate – freebies. The elections in Delhi are scheduled on the 5th of February and the politicians across various political parties have come up with promises of supporting women through various schemes. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced the revamp of their Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana which will provide Rs. 2100 to all women who are eligible to be registered under the scheme if AAP is voted to power. This promise has caused an insurgence in offerings toward the race to power as the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) promised Rs. 2500 to all women below the poverty line and the Indian National Congress (INC) promoted its ‘Pyaari Didi Yojana’ that will give the monthly benefit of Rs. 2500 to women in Delhi.
While Delhi is currently, in the limelight, it must be noted that such schemes are widely running in various states across the country. But did we ever pause to think about their consequences?
Internationally, India boasts of its objective of becoming a $5 trillion economy, yet most of its population struggles to live comfortably above the poverty line. The same is reflected in its abysmal GDP per capita that attracts masses to politically influenced schemes promising the basic necessities of ‘roti, kapda aur makaan’. Recently in Maharashtra, the ‘Ladki Bahin’ Programme drew flak for its inability to meet the necessary disbursals to women directly and additionally, there were reports of the transfers being made to women who were ineligible for the same. States such as Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal have doled out funds at a similar level with the total beneficiaries accumulating to 30 crore women across the nation.
However, the governments in those states too have been questioned about the rising pressure on the state treasury and the ever-rising fiscal deficit that is worsened by loans running into thousands of crores.
Freebies are not merely limited to women but also oriented toward multiple groups of the population. The economics of such freebies have drawn intense criticism since they are marred by irresponsibility and despondent apathy. Nevertheless, the relentless reliance on schemes to gain votes displays that the politicians’ lust for power prevails over financial common sense. Unfortunately, the aggravated poverty prevailing in the nation inadvertently drives voters to choose the political party that emerges as the biggest spender despite the disapproval and urge to condemn them.
Even if the question of economics were to be kept aside, it is essential to assess whether the grave risk to national finances pays off dividends by reaching the intended beneficiaries. Political parties have adopted a system of direct transfer of money in addition to the general subsidies they provide to specific sections of society. One may argue that it is important to provide aid to the population owing to the fact that India is a welfare state and must create systems to assist its people. However, the solution offered in terms of purchasing people’s votes is not the model that must be adopted. Instead, reliance must be placed on addressing core issues and uprooting them to abolish poverty rather than compel the weaker sections of society to seek regular payments from the government.
India, especially its rural parts, is a deeply patriarchal society. Indian businesses registered under women are generally run by men who apply for the same to gain tax benefits. Accounts of women are opened in banks by men who wish to avail of incentives provided by the government. What happens when political leaders of the country go berserk behind irrational schemes offering tens of thousands of crores to women? The money trail may seem to end in the bank accounts of the women eligible for the same but in all probability, it is used by the men of the family. In situations where women are promised bicycles for transportation or are allocated funds for their personal disposition, the final advantage is taken by the men who exploit the lack of awareness and independence of such women.
While the threat of the perpetual stream of freebies is not sufficient to bleed the nation dry, the miserable reality is that they are rendered irrelevant in their effect. It has been examined that for every rupee disbursed by the government under a targeted distribution scheme, merely 30 paise are actually accounted for in their destination. Hypothetically, in a utopian India where corruption is non-existent, these schemes could be conceptualised but the reality persists that there will be a lack of accountability to measure what happens to the money after it reaches the beneficiaries.
The wolf in the skin of the sheep uses women as instruments to display prolific growth and satisfy their photo operations then pounce on a feast conveniently laid out for their enjoyment.
The answer to the problem appears to be impossible to navigate. It has transformed itself into a vicious hedonistic cycle of appeasing people without acknowledging the grave financial threat that follows it like a shadow. The people too are not to be blamed because they have grown accustomed to receiving such benefits and focus on meeting their daily needs without worrying about the challenges their choices pose to the nation.
Mr. Arvind Kejriwal is so proud of the admiration his freebies have received that he does not think twice about making statements exhibiting his ignorance of sourcing the impossible demand of funds his party is promising in the elections. Mr. Narendra Modi is pleased with accusing the opposition of their ‘revdi culture’ while his party hypocritically boasts of its financial strength and capitalises on the assumed helplessness of women. Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s attempt at justifying freebies given to women as a payment for their domestic contribution as homemakers is a patronising effort to package freebies into a righteous cause without ever including a law or directive discussing the valuation of such contributions in his party manifesto.
The Delhi election like many others in the recent past has turned into a shameless war of baiting masses of individuals which compromises on the integrity and wisdom of the politicians.
It has become almost a vile sight to see politicians in the country trying to pass the buck over a burning issue by rationalising their claims for unsatiable control and insulting women in the country by portraying their inherent complacency to real problems that bother them. Women must be empowered in the true sense of the word by ensuring they are given opportunities in education and health care. The path to the rise of women in India is by making them financially independent and going a step beyond to enforce an identity of themselves that does not depend on men around them.
The policies implemented in favour of women need to stop becoming trivial publicity stunts that create dependency in their minds by making them believe that the paltry help they receive comes from the government and that they cannot forge their path through their own will and efforts.
Freebies are not free and they are not freeing either. There is a desperate and pressing need to conduct a thorough analysis of the state of funds once they reach women so that the Delhi model of inviting votes is exposed and prevents other states from going down this path of eventual destruction. The vulnerability of the people has turned into a tool in the hands of leaders who do not fear the consequences of their actions anymore, and they must be stopped now.
