Wading into the freebie debate, former West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said what Prime Minister Narendra Modi government was calling “freebies” were fundamental for the inclusive economic growth of the country. He also added that the Modi government was the biggest giver of freebies for political leverage.
Speaking to a select group of mediapersons, Mr. Mitra, who is now the Chief Economic Adviser to the West Bengal government, said: “It looks like the Prime Minister and his government are looking at themselves in a mirror in terms of freebies. This government has been the biggest giver of freebies for political leverage.”
He pointed out that through eight Central schemes, the Centre pays out ₹1.25 lakh crores, which he said could be listed under the Prime Minister’s definition of “freebies”. “On January 1, 2022, the PM suddenly announced ₹6,000 each to 10 crore farmers as a fresh instalment of direct transfer under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi programme. A perfect case of a freebie,” he said.
