States, freebies and the costs of fiscal profligacy
The HinduDuring the planning last year and the campaign ahead of the Punjab Assembly election, the Aam Aadmi Party promised a sum of ₹1,000 per month to every woman in the State. When questioned how Punjab, already reeling under heavy debt, could afford this, Mr. Kejriwal said something to the effect that if there is good political management, money would not be a problem. After all, if you look at any analysis of State Budgets by the Reserve Bank of India or any think tank, the inference you will draw is that State finances are in good, if indeed robust, health, and that all of them are scrupulously conforming to the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management targets. The typical modus operandi for States has been to borrow on the books of their public enterprises, in some cases by pledging future revenues of the State as guarantee. The amount States borrow collectively every year is comparable in size to the Centre’s borrowing which implies that their fiscal stance has as much impact on our macroeconomic stability as does that of the Centre.
History of this topic
Affidavits will not fix freebies
Hindustan Times
Defining ‘freebies’ in the time of the Goods and Services Tax
The Hindu)
Poorly-directed freebies may have adverse consequences on economy: Experts
Firstpost
End this asymmetrical conflict over ‘freebies’
The Hindu
Should there be limits on ‘freebies’? | The Hindu Parley podcast
The Hindu
Our problem is fiscal mismanagement and not freebies
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