In response to the Center’s remarks about ‘freebies,’ Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha claimed on Tuesday that loan waivers from ‘dupe agencies’ are what constitute ‘freebies,’ not welfare programmes for the needy. ‘In Telangana, we have around 250 welfare schemes that are being run for poor people. It is our responsibility as a state government to keep the best interests of the poor in mind,’ she said.
Kavitha noted that there is a national trend of referring to welfare programmes as ‘freebies,’ and she claimed that the central government is putting pressure on the state government to end these schemes. ‘We are against this behaviour. The welfare of poor people is the responsibility of any government. I believe a ‘freebie’ is what the BJP government has done – writing off Rs 10 lakh crore debt of dupe agencies,’ she said.
The ex-MP further said, ‘The welfare of weaker societies is never a freebie, it is our social responsibility. I request the citizens of the country to rise to the occasion and oppose this atmosphere that is being generated in the country today.’ ‘India is such a diverse country with people from all backgrounds. It is the government’s responsibility to help the weaker communities to break the cycle of poverty and progress. State governments are working towards it and central government should not put any hindrances in that,’ she added.
Post Your Comments