We’ll pay, but govt must make it count
The question of subsidies has been a contentious one for a long time. There is a point at which subsidies, for example when they are for household or electronic items, wander into votebank politics. So it is clear that reforms are needed.
The NDA government’s decision to withdraw subsidies on LPG is a much-needed reform as most of the users were middle and high-income people. At the PM’S intervention and appeal, over 1.30 million users have given up their LPG subsidy.
However, some of them should be continued, for example on some items such as fertilisers and others which help farmers, who are already struggling. Food items which are needed for the struggling sections of our society should also be subsidised. But other than that, subsidies are a practice which go against India’s status as a growth-oriented society which is fighting inflation.
— AS Raj incomes of people rise and they move above the poverty line. For this the government should concentrate on development. Development and improvement in the lives of people will make more people ineligible for subsidies, which will automatically make these funds available for other welfare projects.
Third, subsidies tend to make more people overdependent on the government, which may lead them to become lazy and shun work. As long as people get various subsidies, they may not be interested in working hard and improving their lives.
This is the most important drawback of the subsidy system which needs to be tackled.
— Veena Shenoy