Social Justice › Efficacy of Welfare and Development Schemes

As Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said, “Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy.” Development and welfare schemes are pivotal for uplifting vulnerable sections of society.

Welfare Schemes – “Discriminatory”

Targeted Beneficiaries – Eg- Stand-Up India provides loans only to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs.

Resource Allocation Bias – Eg- Special Component Plan (SCP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) earmark fixed budgetary percentages.

Political and Regional Disparities – Eg- 90% central funding to North East and Special Category states under CSS

Dependency and Moral Hazard – Overemphasis on welfare transfers can foster dependency rather than empowerment.

Bias and Perceived Discrimination – Non-reserved categories view these schemes as diluting meritocracy and unfair. Eg- Reservation Policies

Welfare Schemes – Corrective, Not Discriminatory

Constitutional Mandate for Positive Discrimination – Articles 15(4) and 46 empower the state to make special provisions for the advancement of socially and educationally backward classes.

Bridge Structural Inequalities and corrects historical injustices. Eg- 106th Amendment Act

Inclusive Human Development – Programs like Ayushman Bharat, PM Poshan, and PM Matru Vandana Yojana address basic capabilities of health, nutrition, and education.

Aligns with the UN SDGs (Goal 1: No Poverty, Goal 10: Reduced Inequality) which encourage special focus on vulnerable populations.

Resource Optimization- Limited resources necessitate prioritizing those most in need, ensuring efficient use of funds.

Impact Maximization- Eg- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) for affordable housing.

Social Cohesion- Inclusive growth fosters social stability and reduces tensions arising from socio-economic disparities.

Impact

India lifted 248 million people out of multidimensional poverty between 2013-14 and 2022-23 (NITI Aayog, MPI Report 2024).

MGNREGA: Women’s participation stands at over 57%, reflecting strong gender inclusion.

PM Ujjwala Yojana – Over 10.5 crore LPG connections provided since 2016

PM Jan Dhan Yojana: 55 crore accounts opened, with 56% held by women

Way Forward

Capability Approach: increase expenditure on Health (2.5% of GDP) and Education (6% of GDP)

Bottom-up Planning – Porto Alegre Brazil Model

Welfare schemes for the vulnerable may appear discriminatory in form, but they are affirmative in purpose to realise the vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”

Women Empowerment

The Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 41), envisions a welfare state that ensures social justice and empowerment of vulnerable sections. However, their impact is limited due to design and implementation gaps.

Absence of awareness and active involvement

Policy Making

Poor Representation in Design – Lack of beneficiary consultation leads to top-down, one-size-fits-all schemes. Eg- uniform guidelines under PMAY

Absence of local participation results in policies ignoring grassroots realities.

Misallocation of Priorities- Without local input, funds get diverted to non-core activities. Eg- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao spent 80% of funds on publicity

Political populism and short termism rather than long term capability building approach. Eg- Farm Loan Waiver

Policy Implementation

Limited Awareness of Rights and Entitlements – Eg- MGNREGA workers rarely claim unemployment allowance due to ignorance of provisions.

Poor Coordination – Absence of SHGs, PRIs, and NGOs in execution leads to leakages and inefficiency. Eg- leakages in PDS

Digital and Social Exclusion – Digital illiteracy limits registration and access.

Policy Monitoring

Weak Social Accountability Mechanisms – Eg- Social audits under MGNREGA are irregular in several states.

Absence of Community Oversight- Eg- NFSA grievance redressal committees underperform due to lack of public participation.

Crisis Management

In disasters, schemes fail to respond effectively due to missing local coordination. Eg- Migrant crisis during COVID-19 lockdown

Weak Role of Civil Society in Emergency Delivery- Limited engagement with NGOs reduces last-mile efficiency.

However, there are few success stories

Mid-Day Meal (POSHAN) -Reduced hunger and educational deprivation.

Direct Benefit Transfer saved 3.48 lakh crore of government.

Social Audit of MGNREGA – Andhra Pradesh Model

Participatory Democracy – Peoples Plan Campaign of Kerala

Way Forward

Institutionalising Social Audit and Citizen Charters with legal backing

Strengthening Grassroot democracy through effective devolution and principle of subsidiarity

Bottom-up Planning – Porto Alegre Brazil Model

Inclusive Development- Involve SHGs, and CSOs in design, execution, and feedback.

Ensuring “people-centric governance” through information, inclusion, and participation aligns with the vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”