Supreme Court's Big Remark On Freebies Feb 12, 2025

  Are We Not Creating Class Of Parasites?"

"Are We Not Creating Class Of Parasites?" Supreme Court's Big Remark On FreebiesThe Supreme Court was hearing a matter on the right to shelter of homeless persons in urban areas.

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Ashish Bhargava

India News

Feb 12, 2025 17:59 pm IST

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Feb 12, 2025 17:59 pm IST

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"Are We Not Creating Class Of Parasites?" Supreme Court's Big Remark On Freebies

The bench said people were getting ration and money without working.New Delhi:

Making strong observations on the practice of political parties announcing freebies ahead of elections, the Supreme Court has said people are "not willing to work" because of them and wondered whether a "class of parasites" was being created in the country. 

Hearing a matter on the right to shelter of homeless persons in urban areas, a bench of Justices BR Gavai and AG Masih said people were getting ration and money without working.

"Rather than promoting them to be a part of the mainstream of the society by contributing to the development of the nation, are we not creating a class of parasites?" the bench asked. 

Pulling no punches, Justice Gavai referred to the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme in Maharashtra - under which women in the age group of 21-65 with an annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh get Rs 1,500 per month - and similar programmes run by ruling parties in other states and said,  "Unfortunately, because of these freebies, which just on the anvil of elections are declared, like 'Ladki Bahin' and other schemes, people are not willing to work... They are getting free ration and money without doing any work."

"We quite appreciate your concern for them but would it not be better to make them a part of the mainstream of society and permit them to contribute to the development of the nation?" the bench asked.

When Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for one of the petitioners, said there was hardly anybody in the country who did not want to work if they got work, he was interrupted by Justice Gavai, who went on to cite an example. 

"You must be having only one-sided knowledge. I come from an agricultural family. Because of the freebies in Maharashtra which they announced just prior to elections, agriculturists are not getting labourers," he said. 

'Need For Balance'

The bench noted that everybody, including Attorney General R Venkataramani, was on the same page that providing shelter to the homeless merited attention but asked, "At the same time, should it not be balanced?" 

Mr Venkataramani said the Centre was finalising the urban poverty alleviation mission, which would tackle issues like providing shelter to the urban homeless. The bench asked the Attorney General for a timeline and also said the Centre should gather information from all states so that the issue could be considered on a pan-India basis.

When one of the petitioners said the cause of the homeless was not being addressed as it was last on the priority and that the authorities showed compassion only for the rich and not the poor, his arguments were shot down by Justice Gavai. 

"Don't make a political speech here. We won't permit our courtrooms to be converted into (an arena for) political battle... How do you say the compassion is shown only for the rich? Even for the government, how can you say this?" 

The matter will now be heard after six weeks. 

This is not the first time the Supreme Court has spoken out against freebies. In December, a bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Manmohan was surprised when it was informed by the Centre that 81 crore people are being given free or subsidised ration under the National Food Security Act of 2013. 

On migrant workers who have been receiving free ration since the Covid pandemic, the bench had said, "For how long can freebies be given? Why don't we work to create job opportunities, employment and capacity building for these migrant workers?"

Delhi High Court's Refusal

The Supreme Court's observations came on a day when the Delhi High Court refused to hear a petition filed by a former judge against freebies promised by the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress and BJP ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections on February 5.

In his complaint, Justice SN Dhingra said such promises made by parties amounted to corrupt practices under the Representation of People Act and sought directions to the Election Commission to declare them "unconstitutional". The high court asked the former judge to approach the Supreme Court after it was told that a similar case was already pending before it. 

The distribution of freebies has also become a political issue and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has frequently attacked the AAP, Congress and other parties, accusing them of trying to buy people's votes by distributing "revdis". Hitting back, the parties have attacked the BJP-led government's track record on inflation and unemployment and said there is nothing wrong with taxpayer money being used to make people's lives easier. 

Supreme Court Flags Ration Card Misuse, Says Its Now A "Popularity Card"

 Observing that ration cards have become a "popularity card", the Supreme Court on Wednesday wondered if the benefits meant for the poor percolated to undeserving persons. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said the benefit of subsidies should reach the genuine beneficiaries.15 hours ago.

Supreme Court Flags Ration Card Misuse, Says Its Now A "Popularity Card" A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said the benefit of subsidies should reach the genuine beneficiaries.

Press Trust of India

India News

Mar 19, 2025 21:22 pm IST

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Mar 19, 2025 21:22 pm IST

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Supreme Court Flags Ration Card Misuse, Says Its Now A "Popularity Card"

The bench was hearing a plea in a suo motu case (File)New Delhi:

Observing that ration cards have become a "popularity card", the Supreme Court on Wednesday wondered if the benefits meant for the poor percolated to undeserving persons.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said the benefit of subsidies should reach the genuine beneficiaries.

"Our concern is... are benefits meant for the genuinely poor persons percolating to those pockets who do not deserve it? Ration card has become a popularity card now," said Justice Surya Kant.

The judge went on, "These states just say we have issued these many cards. There are some states who when they have to show their development they say our per capita income is growing. And then when we talk of BPL, they say 75 per cent of the population is BPL. How can these facts be reconciled? The conflict is inherent. We have to ensure that benefits reach the genuine beneficiaries." The top court observed that states showed a high per capita growth when asked to highlight the development index but claimed 75 per cent of their population was below poverty line when it came to subsidies.

The bench was hearing a plea in a suo motu case initiated during the COVID19 pandemic to address the miseries of migrant labourers.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for some intervenors, said the anomaly stemmed from the inequalities in the income of people.

"There are a handful of people, who have huge wealth as compared to other population and per capita income figure is average of total income of the state. The rich continue to be getting richer while the poor remain poor," he said.

The poor migrant workers, who are registered in the e-shram portal of the government, need to be given free ration and the figure was around eight crore people, Bhushan said.

Justice Surya Kant said, "We hope that in the issuance of ration cards, there are no political elements involved. I have not lost my roots. I always want to know the plight of the poor. There are families who continue to be poor." Bhushan said the Centre did not conduct the 2021 Census and was continuing to rely on data from the 2011 Census as a result around 10 crore people, requiring free ration, remained out of the BPL categories.

Additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre said the government was giving free ration to around 81.35 crore people under the National Food Security Act and another 11 crore people were covered by another similar scheme.

The bench adjourned the matter and asked the Centre to file its response on the status of free ration distributed to the poor.

On December 9, last year, the top court frowned upon the freebie culture and stressed on the need to create job opportunities and capacity building for migrant workers.

It was surprised when the Centre informed the court that 81 crore people were being given free or subsidised ration under the National Food Security Act of 2013.

"It means only the tax-payers are left out," it then said.

Bhushan had contended that directions were issued by the top court from time to time to all states and union territories to issue ration cards to migrant workers for availing free ration provided by the Centre.

On November 26, last year, the top court flagged the difficulties surrounding the distribution of freebies and said Covid times were different when distressed migrant workers were provided the relief.

In a judgment on June 29, 2021, and subsequent orders, the top court passed a slew of directions to the authorities asking them to undertake welfare measures, including giving ration cards to all migrant workers, who were in distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, registered with the e-shram portal.

The portal is a comprehensive national database of unorganised workers launched by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment with the primary aim of facilitating the delivery of welfare benefits and social security measures to the country's unorganised sector workers.

On September 2, last year, the top court asked the Centre to file an affidavit giving details about compliance with its 2021 judgement and subsequent directions on providing ration cards and other welfare measures to migrant workers.

The Centre previously said it was providing ration to all those people who were eligible under the National Food Security Act.

The top court, in the 2021 judgement, termed as "unpardonable" the Centre's "apathy and lackadaisical attitude" towards creating the national database for unorganised workers and ordered its commencement by July 31, 2021, for the registration of all migrant workers and providing them with welfare measures.

It had ordered the states and union territories to frame schemes for providing free dry ration to them till the pandemic lasted while asking the Centre to allocate additional foodgrains and directing the department concerned to "allocate and distribute food grains" to migrant labourers".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ajit Doval - Rustamji Memorial Lecture 2024 full Text

 Ajit Doval - Rustamji Memorial Lecture 2024 full Text 

Can CRPF & BSF perform each others’ duties? NSA Ajit Doval explores idea of ‘interoperability’

‘Vulnerable’ borders stand in the way of India’s economic growth, says NSA Doval at a BSF event, adding that without border security, it's impossible to ensure internal security.

Mayank Kumar

24 May, 2024 10:48 pm IST

NSA Ajit Doval at the BSF investiture ceremony | ANI

New Delhi: Calling the vulnerability of India’s international borders one of the challenges in the path of the country’s future economic prosperity, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval Friday pitched the idea of integrating the Central Police Organisations (CPOs) to ensure that different forces achieve “interoperability” to bring about “homogeneity” in their actions.

Discussing the idea, Doval explored the possibility of mobilising the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which now has the mandate to maintain law and order in states, for anti-naxal operations along the border at times and in places where the Border Security Force (BSF) has the mandate of functioning. Similarly, he explored if the BSF could, at times, be used to deal with challenges to internal security.

Saying that other sectors are seeing this kind of integration, he said CPOs could achieve it because of similar training, equipment and command structures. He, however, prefixed a caveat, saying he was “speaking as an IPS officer and not as an NSA of India.”

Delivering the annual Rustamji Memorial Lecture, held Friday in memory of the first Director General of the Border Security Force, K.F. Rustamji, on the occasion of the BSF’s 21st Investiture Ceremony, Doval said India’s economic growth would have been more rapid and smooth had it not faced adversarial positions on the northern and western borders.

“The weight of border vulnerability was always on internal security — in terms of terrorism, radical ideas, and thoughts that come, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, organised crimes. You name, and we find that. Because of adversarial relations, we find it difficult to manage these situations, or it has become a liability for our internal security,” NSA Doval said during his nearly half-an-hour lecture.

Further emphasising the importance of border security, NSA Doval said that while defining the limit of a nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, it is also essential for maintaining internal security. “Unless our borders are secure, our internal security is not under control,” he said.