Freebies or rights: What is India’s approach to welfare spending? | In Focus Podcast
This podcast episode explores the debate surrounding India's welfare spending, specifically whether state-provided benefits should be classified as 'freebies' or essential rights. Economist Reetika Khera discusses the country's historical under-investment in health and education despite economic growth.
Why it matters
It highlights the critical tension between fiscal responsibility and social welfare in a developing economy.
The resilience of a nation’s economy is determined by the quality of its human capital. Other things being equal, a country with a healthy and educated population will grow much faster than one with a semi-literate and undernourished one.
And yet, has historically, and consistently, under-invested in health and education – neglecting them even in years of high economic growth. There is a strong tendency to dismiss state expenditure on people’s well being a as ‘freebies’ or ‘revdi’. But are they freebies or are they basic rights that people can demand from the state?
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