Subsidy and Democracy
Subsidy and Democracy
Whether doling out subsidies suitable for a thriving democracy?
A culture, a series of time-tested measures,
An institution whose effects are irregular,
And for questions and doubts, this has become one of the contemporary centers,
Yet for the neediest in populations, this method for providing essential facilities is still very amateur.
Derived from ‘subsidium’, one of the Latin expressions,
To promote governmental policies it grants concessions,
To promote the welfare and to improve the condition of different countries’ populations,
Is it direct or indirect; it depends on its classifications.
Dating back to the late 15th century,
They were employed in the mercantilist period extensively,
Indian state too since war subsidized products and industry,
Introduced during the 2nd Five Year Plan was the kerosene subsidy.
A subsidy helps generate employment,
If given to vital industries.
It makes the economy efficient
If provided at the right level, it prevents overall market catastrophes.
p> Yet everything has its merits and demerits,
As said, each coin has 2 sides that are opposites.
Though it has the advantage that the supply of goods is abundant,
Still, sometimes the issue of shorter supply aggravates,
This system can distort government expenditure,
Ultimately increasing inflation here finds its juncture,
It ensures economic security to those who are unwilling to labour,
Due to this most economists consider a subsidy a failure.
The promise of implementing this culture,
Vitiates the purity of the polling procedure,
Giving away loan waivers has a bad effect on crediting culture,
From having a debilitating impact on resources belonging to nature,
It may weaken the quality and competitiveness of the manufacturing sector.
There are economic, if not any moral aspects,
It is a point of contention in the political culture of India in heed of intellects,
Coming with strengths, the praxis has its own side effects,
So doling out subsidies is not a very good practice in the nations where democracy in practice reflects.