Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, distinguished between essential welfare safety nets and politically motivated 'freebies.' He argued that while targeted support for the poor and those who fall behind is necessary, universal, non-targeted subsidies and overly generous pension promises risk creating unsustainable fiscal liabilities for future generations. Sanyal drew parallels with European countries facing demographic challenges, emphasizing the need for assisted trickle-down rather than solely relying on economic growth to uplift all citizens.