You know a nation is in deep, spectacular trouble when basic human necessities — clean air, clean water, functioning schools, hospitals, and public safety — transform into premium, paid upgrades. We’re living in a country where you shell out taxes every year like a responsible citizen, only to immediately open your wallet again because the very services you already paid for don’t work. It’s not governance anymore — it’s a giant subscription model where the “free tier” is broken and the “paid tier” is mandatory for survival.

1. Clean Water? Sure — If You Can Afford a Purifier.

India’s tap water is so unpredictable that “boil it” has become a cultural instinct. The government promises safe water; reality hands you an RO bill. You’re not drinking water — you’re drinking your own tax money after purifying it yourself.

2. Clean Air? Buy It. Literally.

air pollution is so bad that air purifiers are now “middle-class essentials.” Imagine paying taxes for environmental regulation, then paying again for a machine to breathe without coughing up a lung.

3. 24/7 Electricity? Only If You Have an Inverter Backup.

Power cuts still hit like it's 1999. You pay electricity taxes, energy surcharges, and government fees — and then quietly keep an inverter or generator at home because “official supply” comes with disclaimers.

4. Quality Education? Only in Expensive Private Schools.

Public schools should be the backbone of a nation. Instead, they’re treated like a backup plan for people with zero alternatives. parents aren’t choosing private schools — they’re escaping a broken system by taking education loans for a 6-year-old.

5. Decent Healthcare? Welcome to the Land of Private Hospitals.

government hospitals are overcrowded, understaffed, and often under-equipped. When someone falls sick, families don’t think about treatment first — they think about the bill. Healthcare isn’t a right anymore. It’s a financial gamble.

6. Safe Food? Better Do Tests at Home.

Paneer? Test with iodine. Milk? Check for starch. Fruits? Scrub off wax like you’re polishing a car. The food regulation ecosystem is so shaky that indian households are slowly turning into mini forensic labs.

7. So… Why Are We Paying Taxes Again?

To fix potholes? You still breake your car suspension.
To get streetlights? You use your phone torch.
To improve public safety? You install CCTV in your house.
To maintain public infrastructure? You don’t even remember the last time it improved.

We are essentially paying taxes to fund systems that no longer serve us — while privately funding replacements that actually work.

💣 FINAL PUNCH

A nation collapses not when people stop paying taxes, but when people stop believing they get anything in return. And right now, India’s middle class is dangerously close to that breaking point. If everything that should be public becomes private, then what exactly is the government running besides sentiment, slogans, and ceremonies?

Just one question remains:
If we have to buy everything ourselves, why are we paying the government at all?