Chandrababu Naidu to head Modi govt panel on problems caused by note ban

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will head a committee of Chief Ministers to suggest measures to reduce hardships caused to the common man by demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes by the Modi government.

According to a report in NDTV, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has invited several Chief Ministers, including Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, to be part of the panel. Kumar is one of the few Opposition CMs who have supported the Centre’s demonetisation move.

The panel is also expected to work on ways to move towards a cashless economy.

Another CM reportedly tapped for the committee is Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has not joined the Opposition’s protests against the note ban and has offered issue-based support to the BJP government.

Arun Jaitley called Chandrababu Naidu on the phone on Monday afternoon to ask him to head the panel, said PTI. Chandrababu Naidu, an ally of the BJP, had been seeking a ban on high value notes as a way to combat black money, much before the Centre came out with the move.

He has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision on November 8 to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, but questioned the introduction of a Rs 2000 note.

The government is also trying to convince Tripura CM Manik Sarkar and some Congress CMs to join the panel, said reports.

The move is seen as a way to blunt the Opposition's relentless attack on the Centre on demonetisation. The Opposition on Monday organised a partly successful 'Jan Aakrosh Diwas' to protest against the move. The Opposition has also prevented Parliament from functioning ever since the Winter Session began, claiming they would not engage in debate until Modi himself spoke on the matter in Parliament.

Meanwhile, Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao also welcomed Modi’s demonetisation move on Monday, but called for a ‘total revolution’ against black money including state funding of elections, a move proposed by the PM himself recently.