Focus should be on long-term development instead of freebies

 The competition of promises and free schemes being made by political parties regarding the Delhi Assembly elections  2025 has become an important topic of discussion. During the election campaign, there is a series of schemes going on between the Aam Aadmi Party, Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress, which aim to woo voters and make their place in power. These schemes are not only helpful for the citizens of Delhi, but have also become an important part of the election strategy, but many questions are also being raised on the reality behind these schemes and their practical impact.

It will be remembered that the Aam Aadmi Party has won a huge victory in the 2015 and 2020 elections due to its 'free' schemes and this time too it has included many attractive schemes in its election promises. Schemes like the promise of giving Rs 2100 per month to women, the plan to bear the entire cost of treatment of the elderly and free travel to students in Delhi Metro and buses are making its election campaign. Such promises have not only become a part of its modus operandi, but have also become a major attraction for the voters of Delhi.

Apart from this, BJP has also made many promises in its election manifesto. Schemes like giving Rs 2500 to women, increasing the pension of the elderly to Rs 2500 per month, giving Rs 21,000 to pregnant women and cheap gas cylinders for poor families are included in this. Through these promises, BJP also does not want to lag behind Aam Aadmi Party and is trying to strengthen its electoral image. At the same time, Congress party is also resorting to free schemes to regain its lost ground. It has promised to increase the 200 units of free electricity scheme of Aam Aadmi Party to 300 units. Apart from this, it has announced schemes like 'Pyaari Didi Yojana' for women, 'Yuva Udaan Yojana' for youth and 'Mehangai Mukti Yojana' to provide relief from inflation. Overall, there is a clear competition among the three major parties for free schemes, which can play a decisive role in the upcoming elections.

However, this series of free schemes is not just a part of electoral politics. There are already many welfare schemes running in India, which include the availability of ration, water, pension, medical facilities etc. to the poor. The purpose of starting these schemes was to provide basic amenities of life to the poor section of the country, but nowadays, these schemes have become a part of politics, due to which political parties make promises in every election to create vote bank, but the truth is that there is a deeper problem hidden behind these free schemes. If freebies are distributed to get votes, it means that poverty exists in the country, but the governments refuse to accept it. Instead of eliminating this poverty, the governments are resorting to cash assistance and other free schemes to temporarily calm it down, which is not a permanent solution to this problem at all.

From an economic point of view, the biggest disadvantage of free schemes is that governments do not worry about the future for today's small benefits. Certainly, due to these schemes, the budget of the state government can be in trouble. Due to the free schemes being done by the Aam Aadmi Party, the state budget has already gone into deficit. This will likely increase further in the coming days. In the 2024-2025 budget, it is estimated that Delhi's expenditure can reach Rs 63,911 crore, while its income is Rs 62,415 crore. From this it is clear that the Delhi government will need additional resources for its free schemes, which can be challenging for long-term economic stability. While analyzing the success of such schemes, it has also been seen that many times the promises made by political parties are not fulfilled. It is clear from the example of Punjab that the Aam Aadmi Party could not get enough resources from the state government for its schemes. There, women were promised free bus service and 300 units of free electricity, but the state government could not fulfill these promises. Apart from this, the policy of the central government and the financial condition of the state government can also become a hindrance to such schemes.

The Supreme Court is also considering this issue and some lawyers have filed petitions regarding free schemes. The lawyers demand that these benefits given as election promises should be defined in a transparent manner and a 'format' should be prepared for election announcements, which should clearly mention the government debt and the financial condition of the government after the fulfillment of the promises. Currently, governments may be short of money, but they make promises for electoral gain under the guise of free schemes. In the situation of Delhi, where the budget is already heading towards deficit, the pressure of free schemes will increase even more. If, Aam Aadmi Party fulfills the promise of giving Rs 2100 every month to women, then it will need an additional Rs 10,000 crore in the 2026 budget. Thus, free schemes will actually have a deep impact on the financial condition of the state and it will affect the plans for long-term development.

After all, a major aspect of this controversy is that though free schemes may provide temporary relief to citizens, these schemes are not helpful in improving their standard of living in the long run. Unless governments establish a system, the citizens will have to pay the minimum wages.