Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said the difficulties being faced by the people in the wake of scrapping of high-value currency notes would only be temporary. The benefits arising out of the decision would be long lasting, he added.
“Some people have described various projects sanctioned to Andhra Pradesh as ‘stale laddu’. I don’t want to comment further on it. But now, it is certain that black money would go stale, thanks to the announcement of the Prime Minister,” said Mr. Venkaiah Naidu.
Delivering the keynote address at a youth convention on ‘Transforming India: Reform, Perform and Transform’ organised at VPR Convention Centre here, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu appealed to the younger generation to come forward and join the movement of Making Of Developed India (MODI) for a stable, strong, and capable country.
Referring to the comments made against him over the Special Category Status (SCS) issue, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu asserted that the Central government was doing a lot more for the development of Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Naidu said the subject most relevant today was rooting out of black money as it was at the bottom of various ills and problems confronting the nation like ‘parallel economy’, smuggling, and terrorism from across the border.
“The Prime Minister’s decision has pained many persons. But it is a fact that he will take more stringent steps in the war against parallel economy and terrorism,” he added.
Mr. Venkaiah Naidu appealed to the people not to panic as long as their cash was earned as per rules and duly accounted for in the taxable income. He said there was no truth in the rumours that farmers and rural people were being harassed on the basis of the new regulations as there would be no tax or penalty on agricultural income, he added.
Taking objection to the rumours in some parts of the country, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu asserted that there was no way scarcity of salt could arise considering the fact that 220 lakh tonnes was being produced in the country every year and only 60 lakh tonnes of it was being consumed.
The media should highlight more on the positive aspects of the decision taken by the Centre at a time like this, he said.
Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana, Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas, Agriculture Minister Prathipati Pulla Rao, MLCs, and district officials were present.
People need not panic as long as their income is earned by ethical means and is accounted for
M. Venkaiah Naidu
Union Minister
