The finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the burden for the freebies should not be thrust upon the power discoms or gencos.
Mumbai: Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Finance Minister, on Friday speaking at the FE Best Bank Awards event in Mumbai stated that political parties who win elections by promising freebies should fund those pledges through budgetary allocations.
The finance minister used the example of the free electricity that is promised in several states to illustrate his point that the power discoms or gencos should not bear the cost of the freebies.
“If a promise has been made to the people at the time of the election, you are looking at a quid pro quo. You should be, as a responsible party, assume after you come to power, make a provision in the budget for it,” Ms Sitharaman said
According to her, there have been instances where states have partially or not at all paid the utilities in the case of the power industry.
“You end up shifting the burden to the discom which has not gone to the election. The discom has not asked for votes. Why should they be burdened? Do they have the power to stop continuing the supply? And similarly the gencos. The debate is not about what constitutes a freebie, but if you have given a promise, provision for it,” she said.
The comments came in the midst of a contentious free-gifts controversy that has split the BJP and opposition parties like the AAP. Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, was already accused by Ms. Sitharaman of giving the discussion a perverted twist.
The government supports allocating resources to facilitate one’s path out of poverty and to empower people, Ms. Sitharaman noted, but one should not view such efforts as entitlements. She emphasized the importance of having a rigorous discussion on the subject of freebies.
She emphasized that everyone should participate in the discussion since it is a crucial one for India.
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