Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu did not hide his displeasure over the response and functioning of banks and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) “at a time of crisis.”
At a review meeting here on Thursday, Mr. Naidu said that the bankers should respond swiftly to the problems faced by the public. There were reports that the people were facing problems due to shortage of currency and non-functioning of the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). The banks should have responded in a much better way, he felt.
Mr. Naidu, referring to his letter to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and RBI Governor Urjit Patel, said that he requested the Centre to despatch new currency notes amounting to Rs. 1,500 crore. Andhra Pradesh, however, received only Rs. 142 crore. The matter would be taken up with the Union Finance Ministry again. “I shall write a letter to Mr. Jaitley requesting him to ensure that currency amounting to Rs. 5,000 crore is despatched to the State,” he said.
The RBI released Rs. 140 crore in Rs. 10,20,50 and Rs. 100 denominations. And, Rs. 50 crore worth Rs. 500 notes were yet to reach the State, he said.
Mr. Naidu would interact with mobile network service providers on Friday. The Chief Minister would discuss about cashless transactions and mobile banking services with the service providers.
