Free-for-all

In the last four decades, there has been a substantial change in the attitude of the political parties as regards providing immediate relief to vulnerable segments of the population. When the Union government in collaboration with the States launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme, initially there were signs of disbelief but today no political party criticises such schemes as gimmicks or questions the rationale of such initiatives. Irrespective of the colour of the party many believe that innovativeness in designing welfare schemes plays an important role in electoral success.