SC Slams Announcement Of Freebies During Polls, Says 'People Not Willing To Work'
The observations were made by a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih while hearing a matter related to the right to shelter of homeless persons in urban areas.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the practice of announcing freebies during elections, saying that people are not willing to work due to this as they were getting free ration and money.
The observations were made by a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih while hearing a matter related to the right to shelter of homeless persons in urban areas, news agency PTI reported.
"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," Justice Gavai observed.
The top court bench suggested that it would be better to instead bring the homeless into the mainstream as it would enable them to contribute to the national development this way rather than relying on freebies.
"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.
Attorney General R Venkataramani told the bench that the government was in the process of finalising the urban poverty alleviation mission, which would address issues such as the provision of shelter for the urban homeless.
The bench also asked the Attorney General to get a verified response from the Centre as to when the urban poverty alleviation mission would be made applicable.
The apex court posted the matter for hearing after nearly six weeks.
What Is The Urban Poverty Allevation Mission?
The New Mission or Urban Poverty Allevation is a program introduced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to reduce poverty in urban areas of the country. It aims to provide financial assistance, access to credit to vulnerable groups, and socio protection. It also aims at providing skilled wage employment opportunities and enhacing self-employment.
A pilot phase of the mission was launched in October 2024 and is being implemented in 25 diverse cities, including migrant centres and industrial hubs. The misison focuses on six vulnerable groups including those working as transport, construction, waste, care, domestic, and gig workers.
The mission aims to cover around 2.5 crore urban poor households for their socio-economic upliftment and pushing them out of poverty.
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