Over Rs 1-trillion freebies announced by state govts, shows data

The recurring theme of power as a key component of subsidies also shows up in the overall numbers

State governments have announced over Rs 1 trillion in welfare schemes and subsidies this year, even as the Supreme Court on Tuesday raised questions over freebies promised around elections.

Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal are among the state governments with the largest welfare scheme announcements in their respective Budgets this year. They collectively account for over Rs 67,000 crore worth of schemes in 2022-23, shows data compiled from a Reserve Bank of India study. Others included in the study were Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana, and Kerala (see chart 1).

The RBI definition of freebies includ­ed those that can “potentially