It began with a report by the Reserve Bank of India in June this year which - somewhat surprisingly - pointed out that one big cause of strain on states' finances are freebies, handouts promised by political parties. Soon after the Prime Minister no less stepped up an attack on handouts, using the analogy of free distribution of revaris, a north Indian sweet snack. We along with Congress strategist Praveen Chakravarty and former Vice Chair Person of the Niti Aayog Rajiv Kumar get you a reality check on the freebie debate.
