Women empowerment is a cause dear to all in every welfaristic and civilized society. Through generations women have been at the receiving end, many of them leading a miserable life as is widely evident here and the geographical region as a whole. Many have difficulty making ends meet. However, the urge to see women lead a better life alongside their male counterparts cannot be confused with the urges of our politicians. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, for one, has come up with a Mukhyamanthri Mahila Samman Yojana in the Delhi budget for this fiscal, which promised a monthly dole of Rs 1000 to every woman below age 18 in the national capital. A sum of Rs 2000 crore has been set apart for the scheme. This, with a rider that those who are income tax payers and/or receiving other pension would be excluded from this welfare scheme.
Delhi has a population of over three crore people, of whom half could be women; and of these, two-thirds could be outside of the income tax bracket. Having substantial wealth by itself does not mean one must pay tax. Tax is paid on the basis of recorded earnings beyond half a lakh a month. Clearly, large numbers of women from middle class families do not require a government dole for a normal living. An argument could be that the chief minister, having enjoyed the fruits of power, is going out of his way to remain in the saddle for as long as is possible, as the assembly polls in Delhi would soon follow the parliament polls.
India, sadly, is overtaken by a doles raj, which reduces the urge of the people to work and earn a living. This creates a potentially dangerous situation. For a nation to progress, the productive energies of its people should be tapped to the maximum. Money that reaches the exchequer by way of tax is precious and its judicious use is important. It was Kejriwal who first introduced free travel for women in government-run transport buses. Fair enough, perhaps, as largely those from the lower strata of society or working women or students travel by buses in Delhi. The present indulgence, granting a monthly dole to women across the board, is baffling. Governments need not go out of their way to extend financial support to those capable of leading a comfortable life. Sadly, dole as a political culture is spreading fast as was also evident in Karnataka, Telangana etc., based on promises made by the Congress party in its election manifesto. Good governance or good leadership is far from such questionable indulgences. This, rather, is the antithesis of good governance.
