Freebies and Good Governance
| Author | Balmiki Prasad Singh |
| Published date | 01 October 2016 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120160401 |
| Date | 01 October 2016 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
FREEBIES AND GOOD GOVERNANCE
BALMIKI
PRASAD
SINGH
While freebies are considered among the surest and fastest
means
of
providing succor to the needy poor, these come
at
a heavy
cost
to the national exchequer,
as
precious
economic resources have
to
be diverted from developmental
projects, especially those linked to infrastructure projects. An
important aspect
of
freebies relates
to
a phenomenon where
some communities receive better access
to
these than others.
The
communities that are better recipients
of
these freebies
are those whose local leaders have good rapport with their
representatives and administration. The promise
of
offering
freebies to people by political parties,
if
they are voted to
power, is now a common feature during elections in India.
To
usher
in
good governance, the twin national goals
of
building
strong economy and
to
reach its benefits
to
the last man need
to be pursued
in
harmony and with imagination.
BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT
THIS ARTICLE deals with the topical issue
of
freebies and good governance
in Indian politics and administration. The author deliberately withheld the
umbrella in suggesting the title
of
the article that denies both inspiration and
legitimacy to freebies as indicators
of
good governance and welfare state.
This objective has been unfurled in the Preamble
of
the Constitution
itself that prescribes that the State will "secure to all its citizens justice
-social,
economic and political". Articles 38 and 39
of
the Constitution
under Directive Principles
of
State Policy go on to make it explicit when
it provides in.Article 38 "State is to secure a social order for the promotion
of
welfare
of
the people ... " It goes on:
"(
l)
The State shall strive to promote the welfare
of
the people by
securing and protecting as effectively as it may a social order
in which justice, social, economic and political, shall inform all
the institutions
of
the national life.
(2) The State shall, in particular, strive to minimise the inequalities
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in income, and endeavour to eliminate inequalities
in
status,
facilities and opportunities, not only amongst individuals but also
amongst groups
of
people residing
in
different areas or engaged
in different vocations".
Article 39 provides: "The State shall, in particular, direct its policy
towards securing -
(a) That the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an
adequate means
of
livelihood;
(b) That the ownership and control
of
the material resources
of
the
community are so distributed as best to subserve the common
good;
(c) That the operation
of
the economic system does not result in the
concentration
of
wealth and means
of
production to the common
detriment;
( d) That there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women;
( e) That the health and strength
of
workers, men and women, and
the tender age
of
children are not abused and that citizens are
riot forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited
to their age or strength;
(f)
that children are given opportunities and facilities to develop
in
a healthy manner and in conditions
of
freedom and dignity and
that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and
against moral and material abandonment".
In
my
view, Article 38 besides highlighting the role
of
the State to
build a social order for the promotion
of
the welfare
of
the people in many
ways goes on to make the Preamble
of
the Constitution itself a Directive
Principle
of
State Policy.
These two Articles have the object
of
securing a welfare state in India
in their background. The situation in India at the time
of
the commencement
of
democracy was one
of
social inequality. This point was well made by
the Chairman
of
the drafting Committee
of
the Constitution
of
India, B.R.
Ambedkar in the following words: "On the 26th
of
January 1950, we are
going to enter into a life
of
contradictions. In politics we will have equality
and
in
social and economic life we will have inequality.
In
politics we will be
recognising the principle
of
one man one vote and one vote one value. How
long shall we continue to live this life
of
contradictions?
How
long shall we
continue to deny equality in our social and economic life?
If
we continue to
deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in
peril.
We
must remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment or
else those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure
of
political
democracy which this Assembly has so laboriously built up".
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