The way welfare schemes have affected people in Gujarat is somewhat uneven.
The way welfare schemes have affected people in Gujarat is somewhat uneven.
In the last two decades, welfare schemes have become an important dimension of governance that influences voters’ choices and evaluations. Most governments aggressively design, implement and advertise various targeted schemes and general welfare measures. Gujarat is no exception. Therefore, the claims of the BJP government and the perception of voters about these claims are important factors in this election.
Have the targeted sections of Gujarat really benefited from the welfare schemes of the Central and State Governments? We tried to check the reach of these plans. Gujarat government has implemented several schemes for the marginalized sections. We asked voters whether they had availed these schemes in the last five years. In Gujarat, two out of every three families said they got the benefit of the free ration scheme: 68 percent of the poor and 72 percent of the lower class said they got free ration under the scheme.
Apart from the free ration scheme, there is a provision to buy ration at subsidized prices under PDS. One in four families bought ration at a subsidized price; The proportion of beneficiaries of the scheme reached one in three among poor voters.
Both these schemes were more effective in rural Gujarat than in urban Gujarat. Statistics show that three-fourths of households in rural Gujarat got free ration and a little over a third bought rations at subsidized prices under the PDS scheme. The success of the scheme can also be gauged from the fact that nine out of 10 voters from tribal families said that they got free ration and about two-thirds bought ration at a cheap price. Three-fourths of the Dalit families surveyed also got free ration.
The Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana has brought positive results for the farmers. About half of the voters of farmer families got financial benefits under this scheme. In the survey, 8% of farmer households said that they have also got benefits of other agriculture schemes, which they used to buy fertilizers, seeds, machinery. etc. at discounted prices.
Voters also admitted that they got the benefit of free health treatment. Two-fifths said their families have benefited from a health scheme that provides them with free or subsidized health facilities. Statistics show that rural voters and voters from marginalized castes and communities have benefited more than others from the health schemes implemented by the Gujarat government in the last five years.
Other schemes that benefited voters were electricity and water at free or affordable rates (13%), direct cash transfer (12%) and provision of funds to build houses (11%). The beneficiaries of these schemes were more in rural Gujarat than in urban Gujarat and were mainly from Dalit and tribal families.
In short, the way welfare schemes have affected people in Gujarat is somewhat uneven (Tables 1 and 2). Some schemes have been well implemented. The target groups have got the benefit of free ration, PDS, Kisan Samman Nidhi and to some extent health scheme. The benefits of other schemes have not yet reached the targeted sections as not many voters said that they have benefited from it. Nevertheless, the goodwill earned through these schemes can be a valuable asset to the BJP.
Jyoti Mishra and Umar Mohideen Lokniti-CSDS. are researchers of