CMs' panel on note ban to meet tomorrow; Naidu flays Centre

The government-appointed committee of Chief Ministers and experts on demonetisation-related issues, headed by Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, will hold its first formal meeting in Mumbai tomorrow even as he expressed unhappiness over the measures undertaken by the Centre post the note ban announcement a month ago.
As the Committee convenor, Chandrababu will chair the meeting to be held in the RBI headquarters in South Mumbai.
Chief Ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Navin Patnaik (Odisha), Pawan Kumar Chamling (Sikkim), V Narayanasamy (Puducherry) and NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya, among others, are members of the panel.
RBI Governor Urjit Patel and CMDs of banks have been invited to attend the meeting and share their experiences post the November 8 demonetisation drive, Chandrababu told a news conference here tonight.

"The post-demonetisation measures undertaken (by the Centre and the banks) have not been proper. People are still suffering," he lamented.
"We will discuss a whole range of issues related to demonetisation. Focus will be on transforming the country to a digital economy," Chandrababu said on the eve of the meeting.

The "best practices" like AP Purse mobile App, ePoS- enabled ration distribution, etc. Being followed in Andhra Pradesh would be showcased at the meeting, he said.
"We will study the various best practices being implemented not only in the country but also abroad. We will also visit one or two countries to study the best practices."

Encouraging digital payments was the only solution to the current crisis and spreading digital literacy to at least one member of each family was the key, Chandrababu maintained.
Asked why the focus was now solely on digital transactions whereas demonetisation was undertaken primarily to curb black money and corruption, Chandrababu said change was inevitable.
"Yes, there is pain (to common people) as there is still shortage of currency notes. But change is inevitable and we have to transform to a digital economy."
Chandrababu once again found fault with the introduction of Rs 2,000 currency notes, saying this move would not help the poor.