India’s growing freebie culture is becoming a serious concern and Wisdom Hatch founder Akshat Shrivastava highlighted the trend could lead to a fiscal crisis. He compared debt situation of India with that of the United States in his X post. The US manages its $36 trillion debt with 22% of its revenue going towards interest payments. India spends 40% of its revenue to service its ₹180 lakh crore debt.
New welfare schemes are being rolled out almost every day despite the alarming reality. Shrivastava pointed out that such practices reward freeloaders and his concerns are hard to ignore. Political parties compete to promise more handouts during election time.
The Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi announced allowances for women and priests under new schemes as well as free healthcare for senior citizens. The promises of course sound appealing, but comes at a cost to the state’s finances. Similarly, BJP promised ₹1,500 monthly allowances for women in Maharashtra and Congress vowed to double the figure if they win. Punjab pledged 300 free electricity units and this has started causing financial strain. Himachal Pradesh is struggling with the Old Pension Scheme and it is borrowing heavily to keep things running.
Such giveaways just focus on short-term benefits and ignores long-term development. Economists like N.K. Singh have repeatedly warned that freebie culture is a “passport to fiscal disaster.” Freebies don’t create sustainable value and even Prime Minister Modi has criticized the trend. He has urged voters to focus on developmental initiatives.
The Reserve Bank of India has simultaneously raised red flags and noted that rising subsidies are leaving little room for investments in critical sectors including health, education, infrastructure. These areas actually drive growth and improve lives in the long run.
Welfare schemes win votes, but they also come with hidden costs that India cannot afford. It is time for a serious conversation about balancing populism with fiscal responsibility as the future of India’s economy depends on it.
