Freebies or rights: What is India’s approach to welfare spending? | In Focus Podcast

The resilience of a nation’s economy is determined by the quality of its human capital. Other things being equal, a country with a healthy and educated population will grow much faster than one with a semi-literate and undernourished one.And yet, has historically, and consistently, under-invested in health and education – neglecting them even in years of high economic growth. There is a strong tendency to dismiss state expenditure on people’s well being a as ‘freebies’ or ‘revdi’. But are they freebies or are they basic rights that people can demand from the state?Guest: Reetika Khera, professor of economics at IIT, explores this question in her book, ‘Freebies or Rights: Understanding Social Policy in ’, which maps ’s welfare architecture and its effectiveness.Host: G SampathProducer and editor: Jude WestonFor more episodes of In Focus: Published - September 02, 2026 07:58 pm IST