Note Ban Won’t Help India in Corruption Fight: RBI Guv’s Mentor

Economist TN Srinivasan says there is no well thought-out policy to fight corruption.

Economist TN Srinivasan, who has taught RBI Governor Urjit Patel, has cast doubts on the efficiency of the note ban. (Photo Courtesy: Youtube Video/IBSBusinessSchoolHyd)

Noted US-based economist T N Srinivasan has cast serious doubts on the efficacy of the cash ban move, saying it will not help in fighting the menace of black money.

Srinivasan, Jr Professor Emeritus of Economics at Yale University, who at one point taught RBI Governor Urjit Patel, emphasised that the government needs to come out with a "well thought-out" policy to combat corruption. He told PTI:

There was and is no well thought-out anti-corruption policy to combat corruption. Rooting out corruption and increasing transparency through a policy such as demonetisation as implemented in India are unlikely to come about

"Although understandably, the demonetisation was not pre-announced, the government's implementation showed extreme unpreparedness and lack of thought," he said.

Srinivasan also pointed out that the government chose to cancel notes of denomination Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, but it did not clearly come out with the objectives.

With all the technical manpower it had in the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, the government did not issue a white paper clearly laying out the objectives of demonetisation,.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 November announced the scrapping of the notes, pulling out 86 percent of the total currency in circulation.

Also Read: 8 Facts About India You Need to Know, Lists Economic Survey 2017