Treading 'welfarism' path

Several BJP-backed state governments, over the past month, have unveiled a number of schemes targeting the poor, women, farmers, and students, following setback in the Lok Sabha polls. SANJEEB MUKHERJEE ARCHIS MOHAN analyse these announcements

- SANJEEB MUKHERJEE ARCHIS MOHAN

Presenting the state Budget on June 29, Maharashtra's finance minister, Ajit Pawar, unveiled a slew of welfare measures in a bid to sway the electorate ahead of the Assembly polls. Among the highlights were: A ₹1,500 monthly allowance for women and three free cooking gas cylinders for poor households.

A few days later in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh's finance minister, Jagdish Devda, introduced a Budget that promised a 15 per cent increase in spending on agriculture and allied activities. Not stopping there, he announced a scheme to provide free hearse services to poor families and increased funding for cow sheds.

These announcements follow the June 4 Lok Sabha election results, with state governments, either run by the BJP or its allies, making significant welfare promises, such as welfare schemes for women and the poor, greater assistance to the agrarian sector, curb on examination paper leaks, and filling vacancies in government departments.

In Maharashtra and Haryana, both facing Assembly elections in October, the state governments have taken the lead with targeted schemes. Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and MP, too, have made similar promises.

Rajasthan's BJP government, sticking to its promises, has upped the annual PMKISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) disbursement to ₹8,000, benefiting nearly 7 million farmers.

In Haryana, the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government has announced free bus rides to the poor, plots for backward communities, and special drives to recruit youths in government.