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Vandana Bahl's avatar

Dear Anil,

Another comprehensive, informative and interesting article on a very debatable topic.I feel with the fiscal deficits of all the states increasing continuously, is it wise to keep give free ration ,electricity and other benefits to increasing number of people?

Once you start these programs, they cannot be stopped as govt cannot risk becoming unpopular with elections not far away.Agree the Pandemic has been cruel and resulted in increasing poverty , joblessness and hardships but We have to see the financial implications of social welfare schemes also.But I do agree with you India has done a great job in feeding millions of its citizens.

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Gautam Dasgupta's avatar

A very important article; although initially I found it just a narrative of a well known situation but I sat up and took notice of the steady increase in benefits for ration card holders who could avail the subsidised ration anywhere in the country; mainly due to the linking of ration cards with the biometrics in the adhaar card. A wonderful piece of innovation, which has reached the poor both in the rural and especially in the urban areas. Once again a unique piece of enlightenment gained by reading the weekly Capital Calculus.

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