A host of distinguished guests participated in a seminar on the impact of populist promises on national development at the Administration in the state capital of Saturday.
In his address former parliamentarian Bhagirath Prasad said that freebies derail development by burdening the national budget which in turn impacts the responsibilities the government is supposed to uphold according to the Constitution.
Also a former bureaucrat, Prasad said that the government's priorities should be education, health, employment, and the safety of the common people. He iterated that the distribution of both legal and illegal short-term benefits should not occur.
Senior journalist Sarman Nagela stressed that the government's ultimate priority should always be public welfare. Therefore, it is not appropriate to refer to any free services or items given to the underprivileged as freebies. In a vast country like India, inequalities are still observed at multiple levels, ranging from education to basic living.
Nagela pointed out that, unlike in the UK where many media institutions take responsibility during elections, this is not seen in India. While major political parties and big politicians have campaign trails, independent candidates are often excluded from this process.
He advocated for regular elections and suggested that the funds required for election-related expenses should be provided to political parties by the Election Commission of India through a structured process. Nagela further urged that political parties should take all necessary constitutional steps to make the Election Commission more effective and well-equipped.
Keval Krishna Sethi, former senior IAS officer and Chairman of the IIPA Madhya Pradesh Regional Branch, introduced the topic. Former senior IAS officer DP Tiwari expressed gratitude to all attendees.
The seminar was attended by several distinguished individuals, including AK Vijayvargiya, former Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh and former Chief Information Commissioner; Pukhraj Maru, former senior IAS officer; Ram Prasad; KM Acharya; and SC Tripathi, former DGP of Madhya Pradesh, along with numerous other officers.
