The ongoing ‘demonetisation drive’ has touched its tenth day, with no relief to people. Politicians have played vote-bank politics while people suffer on the streets. Instead of placing the blame on the Narendra Modi government, the Opposition can come forward and help the people on the streets. Here, banks are playing a valiant role in bringing parity to the distribution of money. The inconvenience caused to the public is likely to continue for a month or so. The government, the Opposition and the people need to find ways to unite in the national interest.
C.K. Subramaniam,
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The Centre seems to have initiated the massive economic exercise of demonetisation without doing adequate homework. The number of reversals and U-turns taken by it do not speak well of its preparedness. Initially, exchange of Rs.4,000 at a time was permitted; the ceiling was later raised to Rs.4,500 and now it has been slashed down to Rs.2,000. Does the government expect individuals not having a bank account to carry on for the next six weeks with a meagre amount of Rs.2,000?
Further, the government has pushed the hapless citizenry into another trap with middlemen offering to exchange old notes, opening another conduit for black money.
It is surprising how the Centre hoped to have a smooth transition without having an adequate stock of Rs.50 and Rs.100 notes. A decision taken with the noble intention of fighting black money and invalidating counterfeit currency has taken a bizarre turn. It is only hoped that the Prime Minister, who initiated the entire scheme, will now come up with a comprehensive strategy to deal with the cash crunch faced by the common man.
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S.V. Venkatakrishnan,
Bengaluru
The November 2016 demonetisation decision will be remembered as a kadak (strong) move by the Prime Minister. As correctly pointed out in the article, “The morality of binaries” (Nov.18), Mr. Modi has projected the image of a ‘cult’ leader due to which the latest surgical strike has found resonance among a section of the public.
The political Opposition, rather than providing criticism, is engaging only in mudslinging. The poor people are suffering not due to the decision per se but because of the logistical and operational difficulties in its implementation, a factor that is true for any major policy decision taken with the interests of our diverse country in mind. Mr. Modi is currently dominating the national scene and his performance will be evaluated in due course. But his larger-than-life image has made sure that the common man has taken this bitter tonic without much resistance.
Dwaipayan Chakraborty,
Kolkata
Ever since the government made the demonetisation move, many economists and political leaders have given opinion regarding its demerits, giving examples of hardships faced by their own drivers and house helps.
It will be pertinent to ask them: Why didn’t they help the poor of the country open bank accounts when the Prime Minister announced the opening of ‘Jan-Dhan’ facilities? It appears that the sole aim of a section of the commentators is to discredit the Prime Minister by spreading misinformation. However, the common man is ready to face hardships, provided this war against corruption is taken to its logical conclusion. Not only small offenders but also the white-collar culprits should be brought to justice.
Varun Rajsingh,
Delhi
I come from a town in eastern Uttar Pradesh surrounded by many villages, some in remote locations with a population of about 5,000. People from these villages don’t have access to banking facilities and have to migrate to neighbouring cities and towns for those purposes on a regular basis. Needless to say, they have been at the receiving end of the government’s ‘war on black money’. To compound their suffering further, they don’t get adequate coverage in our mainstream media.
I am concerned about this huge information gap due to which urban India, instead of empathising with a large section of our rural population, is totally indifferent to it.
Azmat Ali Ansari,
Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh
The problems faced in the last ten days make me wonder if the government had a serious road map on the exercise. We can say for certain that every Indian is against corruption. However, the big picture is that in a country of 1.3 billion the bulk of black money is in the hands of a small percentage of people. Further, many day-to-day transactions are still made using hard cash. Is it fair to inconvenience an entire country to target a handful of people?
Donald D’Cruz,
Kollam
It is apparent by now that the unorganised sector, one comprising over 90 per cent of the workforce, has been worst affected by the decision. A government that was so passionate about bringing greater vitality to the handicraft industries has suddenly left scores of artisans, weavers, women entrepreneurs in rural parts of the country penniless. Disposable cash forms the backbone of the livelihoods of self-help groups (SHGs), producer groups and artisans. These segments, even if they have access to bank accounts, need money supply to take care of their working capital. The government should have focussed on its promise of financial inclusion before making such a major move.
Swasti Pachauri,
Delhi