SC slams freebies culture, says States should provide employment

The Supreme Court connected Thursday (February 16, 2026) slammed the freebies culture, saying it was precocious clip to revisit specified policies that hamper the country’s economical development.

Taking enactment of the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited’s plea, which projected to supply escaped energy to each irrespective of fiscal presumption of consumers, the apical tribunal said it was rather understandable if States hand-hold the poor.

“Most of the States successful the state are revenue-deficit States and yet they are offering specified freebies, overlooking development,” a Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi said.

The Bench said economical improvement of the federation gets hampered with this benignant of largesse organisation and States should enactment to unfastened avenues for employment alternatively of giving escaped food, cycles, energy to all.

The apical court, however, issued announcement to Centre and others connected the plea of the DMK government-led powerfulness organisation steadfast which proposes to supply escaped electricity.

The powerfulness steadfast has challenged a regularisation of the Electricity Amendment Rules, 2024.

“What benignant of civilization are we processing successful India? It is understandable that arsenic portion of the payment measurement you privation to supply to those who are incapable of wage the energy charges,” the Bench said.

“But without drafting a favoritism betwixt those who tin spend and those who cannot, you commencement distributing. Will it not magnitude to an appeasing policy,” the Chief Justice asked.

The Bench asked wherefore the Tamil Nadu steadfast abruptly decided to loosen the purse strings aft the energy tariff was notified.

“The States should enactment to unfastened avenues for employment. If you commencement giving escaped nutrient from greeting to evening past escaped cycle, past escaped energy past who volition enactment and past what volition hap to the enactment culture,” the Chief Justice said.

The Bench said States, alternatively of spending connected improvement projects, bash 2 jobs – paying salaries and distributing specified largesse.