Subsidies are injurious to health

Contrary to popular opinion, subsidies do more harm than good.

This is even more true in a country like India where corruption is commonplace and inefficiency is a major problem in the government. Our government gives subsidies for all the wrong reasons. These subsidies do everything other than helping the target group. I should make it clear that by subsidies I don't mean just monetary let offs. I also mean 'welfare' schemes of the government. Giving free housing, loan waivers, subsidized electricity and reservations in educational institutes is all a part of subsidies. 

The government is so busy trying to redistribute income that it has almost forgotten about generating income in the first place. 

Take NREGA for example. It is called a 'You dig, I fill' scheme. The government pays people to dig up an area and then pays a few other people to fill it up. This is their way of giving away money while showing that they are working towards improving rural infrastructure. 

The problem is, this is all manual labour. They don't teach skills. Workers who get 100 days of employment are still sitting idle for the rest of the 200 days. There is no improvement in their ability. These people get jobs because they are entitled to a job and not because they deserve a job. 

The point being, if government gave training instead of subsidies, it would be much more useful to these people. We all know that its better to teach a man fishing than giving him a fish. Leave the creating jobs part to the private sector. If the government can make the unemployed people employable then that will be a big feat in itself. 

The world thinks that India has cheap labour. You can get people to do household chores and stuff for a fraction of a price that you have had to pay in foreign countries. This is infact a myth. Our labour class is almost as expensive as any other country. It's just that we pay for it in two ways. First, we pay them their salary which is direct income for them and then we pay taxes which are used to literally give away money to these people. So in the end, government is just a middleman. A middleman who has a huge opportunity to be corrupt and who has used this opportunity to its full extent. The problem is not expensive labour. The problem is that, due to this government interference, citizens have to pay more taxes but the money doesn't reach the labour class. Hence, both sides are unhappy and this leads to a problem of high taxes and poverty at the same time. 

So why not remove subsidies all together?

Let the citizens pay a high price for labour but reduce their tax burden. This way, the labour class can lead a better life and money can be effectively utilised. Ofcourse, corruption goes down as well. It's a win win situation. 

Unfortunately, the corrupt government workers are the only ones that don't win. Politians won't be able to use it as a 'vote gathering' activity. People responsible for distributing these subsidies won't be able to get their share. 

So, the next time you hear about a subsidy being dolled out, remember the fact that its your money they are giving away. You are going to pay for it in one way or another. Don't vote for the guy who gave the maximum number of subsidies. Vote for the guy who makes subsidies redundant. 

Cheers

Gandhi and the other side of the story!

We all have heard Gandhi's side of the story. We all consider him a saint. One of the major reasons for it is that since childhood, we've been told he's almost as great as God himself! 

I have met only a handful people who have told me that they are not a Gandhi fan. I guess a lot of us don't talk about it because of the fear of being looked down upon. I mean, how can someone not like Gandhi? 

Well, one of the good things that a teacher of mine has taught me is, look at both sides of the issue. You are a law student, not a news channel.

So, today when I see all kinds of social media going gaga over the Mahatma, I decided to look for answers.

Here's an interview of Gopal Godse, brother of Nathuram Godse and co-conspirator in Gandhi's assassination by time. 

Read it completely with the comments, before continuing with this post. 

So, the guys who killed him had their reasons. Pretty strong ones at that. About Gandhi manipulating the media, I guess we have seen a similar example very recently with Anna Hazare. In a way, he is the new Gandhi. 

Gandhiji's principles of Non-violence and Civil Disobedience were not new. They are not Gandhi's principles. They are principles which he choose. 

I think people sympathize with Gandhi because all his 'sufferings and pain' have been well documented and broadly showcased. Humans have a tendency of doing that. We can be guided. We have been guided. 

Also, the whole "Hey Ram" controversy is also a big thing. There have been eye witnesses who have told the media that Gandhi just died. His being secular is also a question of debate. I guess he did not discriminate between people based on their religion. He only knew two kinds of people, one group that would follow him blindly and the other than won't. 

I have talked to people about this topic and they have told me these things:

"Majority of his followers were lower caste people who were ignored by all sections of the society. They followed him because he projected himself as their savior. This is basic human nature. If everyone hates you and later on your find someone who thinks you are kind of okay, then you will obviously respect that someone. After he had a crowd, he targeted the leaders. Leaders supported him because he had the support of a lot of people. Nothing looks better to a politian than a large crowd of hapless people ready to vote for him if the politian supported Gandhi." 

"What's with Jawaharlal Nehru being made Prime Minister? I mean, didn't Sardar Patel do all the hard work of reuniting the entire country? Or was he not charismatic enough for capture the imagination of the recently independent state?"

"He was a master manipulator. He took the issue very close to everyone's heart and then used it to his advantage."

"If we believe that based on our actions our Karma gives us what we deserve in life then him being shot dead is something that tells us a lot about the things he might have done."

These are just the ones I distinctly remember. There are a lot more of these. Ask around with a open mind and you will be surprised. Let me clarify, I am not anti-gandhi but then neither am I pro-gandhi. I just know that something is amiss. 

On this Second October 2011, I want you to sit back and think about the life and events of Mahatma Gandhi. A man, who could lead capture the imagination of such a huge and diverse country was surely awesome. Let's just make sure that we don't forget the other side of the story. 

To end on a lighter note:

P.S: The Facebook display picture of this blog's fan page is also related to Gandhi, go check it out. :D