People unwilling to work: SC raps parties on freebies

TO BE SURE, MOST WELFARE SCHEMES INVOLVING DIRECT TRANSFERS ARE TARGETED AT THE POOR, THOUGH, IN MANY CASES, THEY DO NOT DO A GOOD JOB OF WEEDING OUT INELIGIBLE BENEFICIARIES

- Utkarsh Anand

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday strongly criticised the practice of political parties announcing "freebies" before elections, warning that such measures might discourage people from working and contributing to the nation's development, while creating a class of "parasites".

"Unfortunately, because of these freebies... the people are not willing to work. They are getting free rations. They are getting amounts without doing any work... Aren't we creating a class of parasites?" a bench, comprising justices Bhushan R Gavai and AG Masih, remarked.