“The freebie market”

All governmental freebies that are distributed to the public are being sold at whopping prices in the black market. This has grown so much so that every freebie comes at a cost!

Deeptha Sreedhar

“Rs. 10,000 is too high a price. How about settling it for Rs. 7,500?”

“It is a new laptop. I will not settle for anything less than Rs. 10,000. It is branded sir. Lenovo! If you are okay with this amount, call me back!” 

If you are wondering that this conversation is about a genuine sale of laptop, then you are mistaken. The laptops that are distributed by the Tamil Nadu government to college students, is a hot selling item on the private market. What was aimed at improving the standard of living and medium of education to students does not seem to serve its purpose. Many naïve students, who are unaware of the benefits of this electronic gadget, fall prey to those who lure them with money. Since they obtain these laptops at zero cost, many see this transaction to be a profit generating exchange than a loss.

The concept of Freebies has become synonymous with legitimate bribing in the state. This trend was started by the DMK government in 2006. They had promised a 15-inch portable colour television set to all voters if they come to power. Standing by their promise cost the government exchequer a whopping Rs. 3,000 crores. Since most households had a television of their own, this freebie started to roll out in the black market.

At a time when TN thought this saga was coming to an end, the new ADMK government announced that they will give free goats and cows to the voters from the rural regions and a laptop to all government college students in the cities. Some had anticipated cheap China model laptops as freebies. When the laptops were of top brands like Sony, Lenovo and Dell, they became a raging demand in the black market, where many buyers were ready to shell out Rs. 15,000- Rs. 20,000 for a laptop. From a time when people enquired each other whether they got their freebie, TN has advanced to the level where people ask how much do you want my freebie for?!

It is saddening when the humble tax payers’ money is wasted in such a freebie programme and even more disheartening when a black market racquet is made out of it! I hope that at least in the forthcoming general elections, parties understand that what people need is good governance and not freebies.