Welfare Schemes and Economic Interests

The Aam Aadmi Party coming to power in Punjab after Delhi and the Congress coming to power in Karnataka after Himachal Pradesh are the promises made by the above political parties to attract voters before the assembly elections. In Karnataka, I would like to place before you the promises made by the Congress to the voters in its manifesto: * Policemen will be given 5 thousand rupees every month in lieu of night duty. * Social Harmony Committee will be formed for Bharat Jodo. * Promise to increase the salary of Anganwadi workers from 11,500 to 15,000. * A special law will be made for strict action against those who commit corruption. * Old Pension Scheme will be implemented for all government employees from 2006 onwards. * All anti-people laws passed by BJP will be withdrawn within a year. * Promise to withdraw anti-farmer law. * Promise to withdraw the lawsuits filed against the farmers. * Rs 1.5 lakh for farmer welfare in the next 5 years. * Promise to increase the loan given to farmers from 3 lakh to 10 lakh at 3 percent interest rate. * Promise to provide electricity for at least 8 hours a day to rural farmers. * 5 thousand crore rupees (1 thousand crore rupees every year) to compensate for crop loss. * Subsidy on milk will be increased from Rs.5 to Rs.7. * MSP will be ensured for coconut farmers and others. * Will take decisive action as per law including banning any organization like Bajrang Dal, PFI. * Free travel for all women in regular KSRTC/BMTC buses through Shakti Yojana. * The government will provide 200 units of free electricity through Griha Jyoti Yojana. * Guarantee of 10 kg rice in Annabhagya Yojana. * Rs 2,000 per month to each female head of the household through Griha Lakshmi Yojana. * Rs 3,000 per month to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 per month to unemployed diploma holders for two years through Yuvanidhi Yojana. * Promises to increase reservation for SC/ST, OBC, minority/Lingayat and Vokkaliga from 50 percent to 75 percent. * Rs 15 crore and annual grant of Rs 1 crore to start Kashmiri Culture Center to help outside Kashmiri Pandits. * Interest-free loan of Rs 3 lakh offered to minority women to start business. * Cow dung will be bought for Rs.3 per kg.

In the manifesto of Karnataka Congress, where welfare schemes have been given priority, the bet of appeasement has also been played. The Congress is accused of stealing the policy adopted by the Aam Aadmi Party to come to power. The Aam Aadmi Party had promised free electricity and water in Delhi, as well as Mohalla Clinics and free bus service for women, improving schools and many other facilities.

In the Punjab assembly elections held in 2022 also, AAP adopted Delhi’s policy, it has got the benefit of the same in the assembly elections and in the recently held Jalandhar Lok Sabha by-election. Congress has got the benefit of old pension scheme and other welfare schemes in Himachal Pradesh. Now the Punjab Government is also planning to adopt the Old Pension Scheme.

The promises made by both the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress to the voters at the time of elections have now started being implemented. Regarding the policies adopted by ‘AAP’ and Congress, their opposition parties are saying that due to the above policies, the economic balance of the concerned states will deteriorate and with this the economic pressure will increase on the citizen who is paying tax. This is a fact that cannot be ignored.

Opponents of Congress and AAP are calling the policies adopted by them as ‘freebies’, but the truth is that the policies adopted by both the parties are welfare-oriented. The success achieved by the above two parties in the elections shows that the public has appreciated and adopted these policies. Now everyone has to assume that it is probably not in the power of any political party to stop or withdraw the above policies. There can be an increase in these with time, the meaning of reduction will be to hit your own foot.

Seeing the success of AAP and Congress in the elections in Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, now Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and all those states whose elections are going to be held at the end of this year or in the next year In order to attract voters, political parties are making schemes of public interest from now on. The question is, from where the funds will come to the state governments to implement these schemes.

The message that we get from the welfare schemes is that we are moving towards a welfare state, but the state which is already in debt, how can it provide facilities for free, if it does, it will ask for more loans from the Centre. If the central government does not give loan to the state saying that the economic condition of the state is not such that it can be given more loan, then the governments of the state and the center will be in a face-to-face situation with each other.

At present, there is a BJP government at the center, the states where there are non-BJP governments and the economic condition of the state is weak, then it will directly tell the people of the state that we are ready to do everything for the voters of the state, but the central government By not giving money, she is not allowing the welfare schemes to be completed. In the above situation, the central government will be seen standing in the dock and the state government will be successful in hiding its economic weakness.

Welfare schemes are the need of the hour, those who oppose them by calling them ‘freebies’ have to understand that these public interest schemes are not only related to both the pocket and stomach of the voter but also provide relief. That’s why opposing them is political suicide. To face this situation, the central government will have to prepare a list of welfare schemes at the national level and implement them with the cooperation of the states. Secondly, those states which are implementing welfare schemes, should ask the central government to enact a law to make financial provision for them, so that there is no estrangement between the state and the center regarding the schemes.

Overall, we can say that there is no harm in welfare schemes, provided the economic interests of the state are not sacrificed. It is necessary to be economically strong for the development of any state, if the economic condition of the state is weak only to get power, then it is a matter of concern because then both the present and future of the state are at stake. This situation can only be called suicidal. Our neighboring country Sri Lanka is an example of this.