
The fine balance between welfare and 'irrational freebies'
The supreme court has ordered an expert panel made up of representatives from the NITI Aayog, the Finance Commission, the Law Commission, the Reserve bank of India, members of the ruling party, and the opposition parties to come forward and make recommendations to address the issue of offering freebies during election campaigns. Only the unreasonable freebie provided with public money that sways elections would be scrutinised; no one could complain that the state was utilising cash for any social programme. An expert committee has been requested by the supreme court to make recommendations about everything that would be considered "irrational giveaways."
In light of these plans, the aforementioned committee would need to determine the influence it would have on the election results. A panel of experts must decide whether welfare programmes that offer benefits at no cost can likewise "unduly" influence voters or if only the illogical use of public cash can do so.