Supreme Court deprecates poll freebies culture, says 'people are not willing to work'
PTC News Desk: The Supreme Court on Wednesday deprecated the practice of announcing freebies prior to elections and rebuked that people are not willing to works in the backdrop of getting free ration and money.
A bench of Justices comprising Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih observed while hearing a matter concerning the right to shelter of homeless persons 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," said Justice Gavai.
The bench also observed that homeless people also suject to inclusivity in mainstream society and ought to contribute tot he nation's 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 said.
During the hearing, Advocate Prashant Bhushan and petitioner-in-person ER Kumar argued that the government has stopped funding the Urban Shelter scheme in the last few years. As a result, states/UTs are saying they do not have funds and cannot provide shelter, which is translating into the homeless languishing on roads.
The AG further informed the Court about the Centre's New Mission on Urban Poverty Alleviation, saying that it would take care of a wide range of problems related to poverty, including provision of shelters to the urban homeless. He also stated that as per information with the Centre, states/UTs have fund balances available with them for providing shelters.
- With inputs from agencies
