Several states and Union Territories have introduced free bus services for girls and women on government-run public transport. These schemes help women save money, travel safely and move around cities with ease. Yet Goa has no such scheme. Instead, women have received empty electoral promises, such as the assurance of three free gas cylinders every year, which remains unfulfilled.
Similarly, promises such as depositing Rs 15 lakh into every citizen’s bank account sound more like daydreams than reality. Why make promises that the government knows it cannot fulfil? Nothing is truly free. Every development project is funded by taxpayers’ hard-earned money. The government collects taxes from citizens and spends them on public projects, yet often takes credit as if it were an act of generosity. Citizens cannot be fooled forever. Blindly supporting unrealistic promises without questioning them only encourages this culture. People must demand honesty, transparency and genuine efforts to improve public welfare instead of empty electoral promises.
Ronnie Dsouza, Chandor
