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Thursday, August 13, 2026
TopicFreebies

Topic: Freebies

The lifecycle of freebies in India: Big poll promises shrink when politics meet fiscal reality

From Delhi & Maharashtra to Karnataka, Punjab & Himachal, governments across parties have diluted, delayed or pruned pre-poll welfare promises as fiscal realities catch up. 

Why Election Commission can’t fix state bankruptcy—real fiscal crisis lies beyond poll freebies

The real fiscal squeeze isn't just revdis. It's the growing burden of committed expenditure—payrolls, pensions, interest payments, grants—that leaves states with little room to govern.

Rights or benefits? Azim Premji handbook examines shift in India’s welfare architecture

At the launch of Realising Rights, economist AK Shiva Kumar said the handbook arrives ‘precisely at a time when India's welfare imagination is being renegotiated’.

How BJP’s poll promise of allowance for Bengal journalists goes beyond what other states offer

Financial aid, pension or health benefits for journalists already being given in Bengal, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Goa, Puducherry, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

UCC in 6 months, free bus rides & Rs 3,000 aid for women. Amit Shah unveils BJP Bengal manifesto

Ahead of the West Bengal elections on 23 April and 29 April, the BJP announced financial aid for different sections, such as women, unemployed youth & fishermen.

Competing schemes, stressed budget: Tamil Nadu parties go all out to woo voters, critics slam ‘freebies’

Chennai: The Dravidian leaders prefer to call them as ‘social investments’, or ‘personalised gifts’. But a familiar sight is back in poll: Dravida Munnetra...

Rahul Gandhi wants to jail Himanta Sarma but Congress has a Bihar-sized problem in Assam

The Congress has promised Rs 50,000 assistance to each woman but as we've seen in many recent elections, voters seem to be conscious of the proverb: 'A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.'

Iran Embassy thanking only Kashmiris for donating money is deliberately mischievous

ThePrint view on the most important issues.

AAP adds tadka to Akali atta-dal populist recipe with rebrand, new ingredients. ‘But where’s the money’

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is hoping Meri Rasoi food scheme will help AAP retain power next year. But economists warn that it may strain Punjab’s already stretched finances.

What is the structural problem behind India’s high interest rates

The Union government’s fiscal discipline has not been matched by state fiscal discipline, thanks to the tendency to promise unconditional freebies to the electorate.

On Camera

The Tatas have had rotten luck with Air India

N Chandrasekaran’s exit announcement has left many people at Air India feeling insecure about the future, the last thing the airline needs at the moment.

Dalit finance body beneficiaries nearly halve as House panel flags funding drought, board vacancies

NSFDC beneficiaries fell from 1.18 lakh to 61,394 in a year as a Parliamentary panel flagged no fresh equity, nine board vacancies and weak state agencies.

India seeks 60 new transport aircraft for IAF, invites bids for a $10 billion deal

It is reliably learnt that Airbus, which had initially offered its A400M, is likely to sit it out since its aircraft outweighs requirements with payload capacity of 37 tonnes.

Guru RSS is cautioning shishya Modi govt. Bhagwat’s endorsement of Gen Z has an Indira lesson

It’s evident Bhagwat was watching from a distance and was worried about youth’s anger towards Modi govt. The first thing he did was to demolish any criticism of Gen Z protesters as anti-national.