The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed concern over the negative impact of the practice of political parties announcing freebies ahead of elections.
The bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih was hearing the petition concerning homeless shelters in urban areas.
Justice Gavai said, ‘Unfortunately, because of these freebies, people are not willing to work. They are getting free ration, and they are receiving money without doing any work.’
The bench further questioned whether these freebies were creating a class of people dependent on government aid.
The bench said that instead of encouraging the poor to become part of mainstream society and contribute to the nation’s development, the current system of freebies was creating a ‘class of parasites’.
This is not the first time that the top court raised concerns about the proliferation of freebies.
In a separate case, Justice Gavai had recently remarked that while states have the funds to distribute freebies, they are unable to pay judges adequately.
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