Unaffordable welfarism

Congress' NYAY can be a fiscal killer

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has come up with the latest instalment of welfarism with the promise of depositing Rs 6,000 per month in the accounts of 20 per cent of the poorest households in the country. The targeted beneficiaries of the proposed Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) will be 250 million individuals, or roughly 50 million families. The proposed scheme is significantly different from the party’s earlier plan of topping up the gap between a poor household’s income to bring it to Rs 12,000. Instead of a top-up plan, the fresh proposal is a flat allowance of Rs 72,000 a year