Swamy lashes out at Finance Ministry for ‘Poor planning & Execution’

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has lashed out at the government’s poor planning and execution of the demonetisation drive and the subsequent currency chaos that has engulfed India. Swamy, also a member of BJP’s national executive, that he was “appalled by the lack of preparation” in this regard by Finance Ministry. “It is easy to argue that the ministry was not in the loop, but that is no excuse for not having a contingency plan,” he was quoted by SCMP.

“Ad hoc roadside kiosks should have been set up for all and special kiosks organised for senior citizens. All these should have been planned as part of a contingency plan,” Swamy said where he will give a talk on the anti-corruption efforts in India at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said in a press briefing that ATMs had not been recalibrated and that it would take up to 3 weeks for all the 2 lakh teller machines in India to start dispensing the new currency notes. Jaitley estimated that it would take 21 days to recalibrate all the 2 lakh ATMs in the country so that they are able to dispense the new bank notes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today asked Indians to put up with the inconvenience of demonetization for 50 days, or until December 30, in a speech in Goa.