Treading 'welfarism' path: BJP-backed state govts unveil populist schemes

Several BJP-backed state govts, over the past month, have unveiled a number of schemes targeting the poor, women, farmers, and students, following setback in the Lok Sabha polls

Presenting the state Budget on June 29, Maharashtra’s finance minister, Ajit Pawar, unveiled a slew of welfare measures in a bid to sway the electorate ahead of the Assembly polls. Among the highlights were: A Rs 1,500 monthly allowance for women and three free cooking gas cylinders for poor households.

A few days later in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh’s finance minister, Jagdish Devda, introduced a Budget that promised a 15 per cent increase in spending on agriculture and allied activities. Not stopping there, he announced a scheme to provide free hearse services to poor families and increased