SC lens on governments’ DBT schemes just before polls
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose sought responses from the Centre, Election Commission and governments of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand and Karnataka on a PIL filed by Pentapati Pulla Rao, who lost from Eluru parliamentary constituency and alleged that such direct benefit transfer (DBT) schemes amounted to bribing the voters and destroyed the level playing field.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Santosh Paul said implementation of the direct cash transfer schemes announced by BJP, TDP, TRS, BJD, Congress and TMC for farmers, women and others amounted to using public funds to influence voters and create disadvantage for the opposition.
The Chief Justice Gogoiled bench agreed to examine three issues — declaring these direct cash transfer schemes as a violation of right to equality of candidates in an election; direct election commission to prepare comprehensive guidelines on freebies, direct cash transfer schemes etc; and a minimum six-month moratorium for announcement of such schemes prior to elections.
The direct cash transfer schemes under challenge through the PIL included —‘PM Kishan Samman Nidhi’ Scheme proposing transfer of Rs 6,000 to 12.50 crore farmers; TDP’s ‘Pasupu Kumkuma’ proposing cash benefit to women, ‘Annadata Sukhibhava’ proposing Rs 5,000 to 50 lakh farmers, ‘NTR Bharosa’ old-age pension scheme and ‘Mukhya Mantri Yuva Nestam’ for unemployed youth; TRS’s ‘Rythu Bandhu’ promising Rs 8,000 per acre to farmers; and BJD’s ‘Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation’ (KALIA) scheme promising two instalments of Rs 10,000 each to 25 lakh farmers. The petition did not give details of the direct cash benefit schemes announced by WB, Karnataka and Jharkhand.
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