Editorial. Freebies unplugged

As elections draw near, parties in the fray outdo each other in making crazy promises — of jobs, cash transfers or free power. Bihar is no different; and the two formations locked in combat — the Mahagathbandan led by the Rasthtriya Janata Dal and Congress and the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP and Janata Dal (United) — have promised to turn what is perhaps India’s poorest State into an El Dorado in double quick time. The questions that arise are: where is the money; and is it being spent to address basic issues of the State? Their promises are similar, with their focus on women and ‘extremely backward classes’; the latter accounts for 30 per cent of the population.

The NDA has promised to create one crore jobs, one crore lakhpati didis (women in self help groups), financial