Addressing a gathering at Indira Gandhi Prathisthaan, UP CM said, "India was the only country, which did not distribute any 'revrhi' (freebies) but when the need arose, free ration was provided to 80 crore people. And, more than 200 crore free vaccine doses were also made available."
"India was the only country that did not waver during the coronavirus pandemic and but continued its journey forward with full patience and strength. The credit for this goes to the leadership of the PM," Adityanath said.
ALSO READ: How would you define freebies? Poor entitled to ‘basic needs', says Jayati Ghosh
Among other things, the UP CM said that it is a matter of pride that the country has emerged as the fifth largest economy in the world, adding, India's ability is being recognised at the global platform under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, in August renowned economist Jayati Ghosh said that 'basic needs' like nutrition, healthcare, housing and education, which the government should provide for its citizens, are not freebies. She asserted that the poor are more entitled to receive their basic needs.
"India has one of the highest rates of multidimensional poverty in the world, and has done a poor job of ensuring that all its people receive adequate food and nutrition, healthcare, housing, education access, etc.
"In most other countries, universal access to reasonable quality goods and services that constitute 'basic needs' is seen as the responsibility of the state, not as 'freebies'," she had said.
With PTI inputs.
