Freebie culture deteriorating States' financial health: Naidu

New Delhi: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday said the freebie culture has led to deteriorating financial health of many states. Addressing the Indian Information Service (IIS) officers of 2018 and 2019 batches who came to call on him at his official residence here, Naidu cautioned against the populist measures to garner votes by various political parties.

"The government should definitely support the poor and needy but at the same time should prioritise health, education and infrastructure development," he said.

The Vice President highlighted the role of communication in bridging the divide between the governments and citizens.

"In a democracy, people need to be empowered through timely information on government's policies and initiatives in their mother tongues. On the other hand, governments also need to be apprised of people's expectations and aspirations in an objective and timely manner," Naidu said. He emphasised the need for constant dialogue between the people and the governments for citizen centric and responsive governance. He said that policymaking and implementation should be a two way process with people's participation at every stage.