NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the practice of announcing freebies and said that such schemes were discouraging people from working and participating in the development of the nation.
“Unfortunately, because of these freebies… the people are not willing to work. They are getting free rations. They are getting amount without doing any work,” Justice BR Gavai said.
“We quite appreciate your concern for them but would it not be better to make them a part of the mainstream of society and permit them to contribute to the development of the nation,” the bench said.
A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih made the observations while hearing a case related to the right to shelter for homeless individuals in urban areas.
Attorney general R Venkataramani informed the Supreme Court that the Centre is in the process of finalizing an urban poverty alleviation mission aimed at addressing key issues, including shelter for the urban homeless.
In response, the bench directed the attorney general to confirm the timeline for the mission’s implementation. The court has scheduled the next hearing for six weeks later.
This is not the first time that the apex court has pulled up Centre over freebies.
Last year, it had asked the Centre and the Election Commission (EC) to respond to a petition challenging the practice of political parties offering freebies during election campaigns.
Meanwhile, political parties have relied heavily on freebie-centric schemes to gain votes — evident in the recently concluded Delhi assembly elections.