Every Scheme Is a Scam A Deep Dive into Broken Promises and Public Distrust

 

A welfare state survives on trust. Citizens believe that when a government announces a scheme the aim is public good and social benefit. But in India the phrase every scheme is a scam has become a bitter remark in drawing rooms courts media studios and even casual street conversations. It may sound like an exaggeration but the sentiment comes from repeated experiences of inflated claims false promises manipulated data and corruption at every tier of governance.

The problem is not that welfare schemes are unnecessary. The problem is the misuse of schemes for publicity and the diversion of public funds through hidden channels. As a result people slowly begin to assume that behind every new announcement there is a hidden motive and a hidden beneficiary who is rarely the citizen.

This distrust becomes clearer when we examine some major schemes across sectors. Each scheme was launched with fanfare and heavy praise. The outcomes however reveal deep gaps that justify public anger and the popular belief that every scheme is a scam.

Take the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana which promised affordable houses for the poor within a declared time frame. Ground reality shows that many people were sanctioned houses only on paper. Many applicants did not receive the second or third installment. In several states beneficiaries complain that they were asked for bribes to release the sanctioned amount. In many districts houses shown as completed in official records are incomplete structures or just empty plots. This is not a case of a few bad officials. It is a structural failure that allows leakage and corruption at every step.

Look at the Ayushman Bharat scheme which claimed to give health protection to millions. Several private hospitals were caught generating false bills for patients who never visited the hospital. Ghost beneficiaries were created with fake identities. Medical procedures were billed but never performed. Instead of strengthening public health services this scheme gave some private institutions an easy method of earning from public funds. When a scheme meant to treat the sick becomes a source of profit for manipulators people naturally call it a scam.

The Ujjwala scheme gave gas connections to poor households but many families simply could not afford refills. Distributors reported that a large number of connections became inactive after a few months. This means the government gained publicity but the poor continued to cook with firewood and coal. A welfare announcement without long term affordability becomes an illusion. Once again the accusation of scam surfaces not because the idea was wrong but because the implementation was incomplete and misleading.

The Swachh Bharat mission claimed that open defecation had been eliminated across the country. This claim was repeated on global platforms and in national celebrations. Yet surveys by independent bodies and reports from villages show that many toilets were never used or quickly became unusable due to poor construction. Some toilets had no water supply. Some were built far from houses making daily use difficult for the elderly and women. Villagers were counted as users even when they continued old practices. When a government declares victory on an unfinished mission people see it as a scam of data and a scam of publicity.

The Digital India initiative promised a transformation of governance through technology. But the digital divide remains wide. Many citizens still struggle with weak network no smartphone no digital literacy and no access to online services. Despite claims of transparency several portals crash during peak hours and many citizen services still require middlemen and bribes. Digital India has created convenience for the privileged class while the poor remain trapped in old paper based systems. When citizens see tall slogans but no real change on the ground the word scam appears naturally.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi which sends money directly to farmers appears transparent at first glance. But many ineligible persons have received the benefit while genuine farmers were wrongly excluded. Tenant farmers sharecroppers and landless cultivators were ignored because of faulty land records. State investigations exposed that dead persons and government employees had received payments. When a scheme for the weakest ends up helping the wrong people people call it a scam on the farmer.

The Jal Jeevan and Nal se Jal missions promised tap water connections to every rural household. Yet several villages report that pipes were installed only for photographs and record books. In some places water reaches homes only once in many days. In other areas the water is muddy unsafe or supplied only through tankers. A tap without water is not a scheme. It is a token gesture designed to create an illusion of progress.

Even the Smart City Mission which was supposed to renew urban planning and modernize infrastructure has delivered very little in many towns. Most cities have spent money on cosmetic beautification such as fountains decorative lights and fancy signboards while real urban problems remain the same. Traffic chaos unsafe footpaths informal settlements poor drainage and polluted air still define daily life. Projects worth thousands of crores were announced but only a small fraction reached meaningful completion. Activists and auditors therefore see it as a grand exercise in diversion of money rather than a serious urban reform.

The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme was launched with emotional slogans about saving and educating the girl child. Later official reports admitted that a major share of the budget went into advertisements and publicity events instead of direct benefits and support systems for girls. A scheme that spends more on its own publicity than on the lives of the girls it claims to protect cannot easily escape the label of scam.

These are not stray examples. Almost every sector has witnessed similar stories. Skill development centres that exist only on paper. Rural roads recorded as completed but never built. Pension schemes where elderly beneficiaries wait for months. Employment schemes where attendance registers are faked. The pattern becomes clear. Authorities love announcements and slogans but avoid accountability and hard ground work.

Why does this happen repeatedly. First there is a deep union between politics and publicity. Schemes are designed less as instruments of justice and more as instruments of election strategy. Second the monitoring mechanisms are weak and easily influenced. Third corruption flows from the lowest level to the highest and honest officers who resist it face isolation and punishment. Fourth data manipulation has become a normal habit as long as it creates a feel good narrative. Fifth there is hardly any serious punishment for those who misuse public funds.

As a result public trust collapses. When citizens hear about a new scheme they do not feel hope. They feel suspicion. They assume someone somewhere will make money while they will receive only messages jingles and speeches.

This however does not mean that all welfare schemes are useless or that the state should stop planning for social justice. It means that schemes require honest design transparent execution strong social audits active role of local communities and strict punishment for corruption. Information should be open for verification. Independent institutions should have the courage to expose failures. Media should question numbers instead of chanting slogans. Only then can a welfare scheme become a true instrument of change rather than another episode in a long series of scams.

Until that day arrives the statement every scheme by the government is a scam will continue to echo across the nation. It is not an attack on the idea of welfare. It is a warning that welfare without integrity becomes deception and deception funded by public money is the biggest scam of all.

 

Author introduction

The author is Siddhartha Shankar Mishra an advocate at the Supreme Court of India who writes on law governance and social justice with a focus on accountability of state power and the lived realities of citizens.