Madras High Court: Free rice to all makes people lazy

While it was obligatory on the part of the government to provide bare necessities to poor people, successive governments had extended such benefits to all people for political benefits, it said

The Madras High Court has observed that free PDS rice given to ration card holders should be restricted only to families below poverty line, noting that doling out freebies to all sections of people have made people "lazy".

While it was obligatory on the part of the government to provide bare necessities to poor people, successive governments had extended such benefits to all people for political benefits, it said. "Consequently, people began to expect everything for free from the government. As a result, they have become lazy, and migrant workers were being brought for even menial works," a bench comprising Justices N Kirubakaran and Abdul Quddhose lamented.

It made the observations on Thursday over a petition challenging detention under the Goondas Act of a person accused of smuggling and selling PDS rice. In 2017-18, Rs 2,110 crore had been spent for distribution of free rice, the government said.

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