The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticized the practice of announcing freebies before elections, stating that it discourages people from working as they receive free rations and money.
A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih made these remarks while hearing a case related to the right to shelter for homeless individuals in urban areas. "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," observed Justice Gavai.
The court emphasized the need to integrate homeless individuals into mainstream society and enable them to contribute to national development. "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 added.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani informed the court that the Centre is in the process of finalizing an urban poverty alleviation mission that will address various issues, including providing shelter for the homeless. The bench then directed the Attorney General to clarify the timeline for implementing the mission. The matter is scheduled for a further hearing in six weeks.
