Subsidies

SUBSIDISED LIVING

From time immemorial, human beings have been living with subsidies in various forms. The armed forces of every nation have always been heavily subsidized be it in the form of rations or medicines or travel or holidaying or lodging. This is not a modern day phenomenon; it has existed from before the days of the Roman Empire or Alexander the Great. This system was found to be so very good for motivation of soldiers, that it was adapted to cater to other members or classes of society in every corner of the world – to ensure they live a dignified life or as is common in these days, to garner votes. Let us see what are subsidized – rations, kerosene, LPG, diesel and housing. Now let us see who gets these – ostensibly these subsidies are meant for the BPL (Below Poverty Line) families, however, more as a rule rather than an exception, many investigators found that these subsidies are being hijacked by the cronies/relatives of politicos, the underlings (who do the dirty work of winning votes, creating disorder, land grabbing, criminal activities, etc) of the politicos and very often the politicos themselves. Despite being aware of the systemic errors, the Government never had the will or the courage to right these wrongs. It is only in the last two decades (post liberalization) with increased and easy access to information, that the citizens have become aware of the shortcomings and the reasons thereof. In certain cases, the misuse is so blatant that it all happens in front of your eyes and one is quite powerless to take or initiate corrective action – just try the RTI or try lodging complaints – you will end up the loser. Nowadays, the Government talks of correcting the errors in the system to ensure that the subsidies go to the right people. Will this really succeed? The habit of living on subsidies has become so deeply embedded that no politico worth his votes would do anything to upset his applecart or that of the voters! Therefore, all the discussions, press meetings/briefs, etc., should go into the realms of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Kali