D Subbarao: 'White paper should be brought on free gifts of political parties', former RBI Governor's advice to the Center

Former Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) D Subbarao has advised the Central Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding free gifts. He says that the government should bring a 'white paper' to create a consensus among political parties on the issue of giving free gifts. Also, there should be a deep debate about how to restrain political parties in this regard.

Subbarao also advised that the general public should be made more aware of the costs and benefits of these freebies and it is the responsibility of the government to educate people about this. He said, 'I think this is a political issue and there should be political consensus on it. It has to be led by the Central Government and the Prime Minister. I believe they should issue a white paper and try to build a consensus on it.

Former RBI Governor says people should be made aware of free gifts. He said that the government should ensure how we can stop this and how we can enforce it. He further said that in a poor country like India, it is the responsibility of the government to provide some safety net to the most vulnerable sections and also introspect as to how far they can be taken given the financial constraints.