Government unhappy with Rajya Sabha TV's coverage of demonetisation (Parliament snippets)

The government seems to be unhappy with Rajya Sabha TV for its coverage on the demonetisation move. A senior minister in the Narendra Modi government has registered a complaint against its CEO Gurdeep Singh Sappal with Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, accusing him of "working like a Congress cadre".

According to the minister, the appointment of Sappal was akin to appointing a spokesperson of a political party, said sources in the know. The minister is reported to have expressed his unhappiness over the coverage of the demonetisation move on Rajya Sabha TV, saying the government's part was "completely missing" in it.

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Cashless life not far away in India

A senior minister in the Narendra Modi government hoped that "cashless life for the common man in India is not far away".

Giving his own example of using no cash since the last 20 years, the minister said that 10 years ago, no one had thought that mobile phones would be so common.

Recalling Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan's comment made years back that mobile is for the rich and landline for the poor, the minister said that "Today the mobile has become a part and parcel of every common man".

He also recalled that during a BJP convention in Mumbai, how a leading English daily published a story on mobile phones given to six of its general secretaries for better coordination.

"Just like mobiles, cashless economy will also be popular in the coming days in India after demonetisation," the minister said.

The minister uses cheques and cards for paying his staff and uses them for payment of school fees of his children too.

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MPs want window

Across the party line, many of the MPs hit by demonetisation want a window from the government.

Some have also suggested that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allow cooperative banks to receive currencies of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 like the government and private banks have been allowed.

But he refused to do so. The minister was of the opinion that 80 per cent of cooperatives are being run by politicians. Jaitley was also informed that Rs 68 crore were deposited in a cooperative bank run by a Trinamool Congress leader in West Bengal's Raigunj after demonetisation. Interestingly, this information was given to the Finance Minister by a CPI-M MP, sources said.

--IANS

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