Noted economist A. Vaidyanathan on Saturday said it was important for the State to provide basic amenities and services to the poor, but not freebies. “Elementary education, healthcare and water are necessary. When it comes to freebees, there are no studies about how people are using them,” he said, participating in a discussion on ‘Politics of welfare in Tamil Nadu’ organised by The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy.
“The important question that is being raised by economists and political commentators is the issue of fiscal sustainability. Does the expenditure on these schemes come at the cost of developing the State’s physical and social infrastructure?” asked N. Ravi, Director, Kasturi and Sons Limited and former Editor-In-Chief of The Hindu , who moderated the discussion.
Speaking first, G. Viswanathan, founder and Vice Chancellor, VIT university, Vellore, said there were good and bad examples of welfare states. “There are countries such as Denmark, Norway and Sweden known for providing great welfare measures and there are countries such as Greece which has to borrow money from another country to pay salaries. Which is our model? Do we have the money?” he asked.
S. Narayan, who has served as an IAS officer in the State for four decades, provided a view of how the welfare schemes had evolved from the early days of M.G. Ramachandran’s AIADMK to the present.
He said: “The midday meal scheme and distribution of note books, text books and bicycles later was a success. Let us not do away with the welfare schemes.”
Geetha Ramakrishnan, trade unionist and activist, said it was not about whether something was right or wrong. “We must understand that the poor live in a society with systemic injustice against them. Even the basic essentials are out of their reach,” she said.
Source : The Hindu , Chennai May 1,2016.
Full text : The Politics of Welfare in Tamil Nadu Opening Remarks by N. Ravi in PDF
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