Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Election Commission of India (ECI) needs to look into the proposal for state funding of elections to combat the influence of cash and black money in them.
The senior BJP leader said her party was open to discussions with the ECI and other political parties on the issue.
In an interview to The Hindu , Ms. Sitharaman said: “The ECI… has to come in, have this debate and look into its implications, have its nuances well laid out and see what contours they have to fix. If the political parties are called to discuss the issue, the BJP will definitely go.”
Pointing out that the government had rescued exporters through incentives to address their problems stemming from weak external demand, she said while the government appreciates exporters welcoming the demonetisation policy, her Ministry now expects them to shift to non-cash modes for their transactions.
“To those exporters who benefit as members of the Commerce Ministry-supported Export Promotion Councils (EPC), I am suggesting they will first have to ensure that accounts are opened for all their workers, and then make sure the wages are deposited in those accounts,” she said.
Ms. Sitharaman said Ministry officials were surprised when exporters recently informed them that many workers still did not have accounts.
“It has been communicated that at least from January 1, 2017, the (Commerce & Industry) Ministry and EPCs will ensure they or their members cannot afford to pay cash for their transactions. But there is no written order,” she said.
