Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi (File)
Taking a dig at the Modi government for Reserve Bank of India’s statement that it is still counting the total demonetised notes, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the government is looking for a mathematic tutor. “Government is looking for a Math tutor. Please apply to PMO ASAP,” tweeted Gandhi.
Appearing before a Parliamentary panel, RBI Governor Urjit Patel had on Wednesday said the deposited banned notes were still being counted and therefore he was not in a position to give a figure on the scrapped currency that was back in the system. Patel did not provide any “specific number” on the amount of money that had been deposited post-demonetisation.
GOI looking for a Math tutor. Please apply to PMO ASAP 😊http://t.co/nO9IwUT1pS
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) July 13, 2017
The RBI also informed the Standing Committee on Finance, headed by senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily, that it had issued tenders for fresh Currency Verification Processing System (CVPS) machines to speed up the counting. Many panel members, especially those from the Opposition, are learnt to have expressed their dissatisfaction at his response.
In a written submission, the RBI told the panel that “notes received during demonetisation are required to be reconciled with the reported figures to ensure accounting integrity, and processed for verifying numerical accuracy and authenticity through CVPS machines. This work has been accorded top priority. Since the CVPS machine capacity is limited, steps have been taken to expedite the process so as to arrive at the exact amount of Specified Bank Notes (SBNs) received.”
Taking a potshot at the RBI for buying note-counting machines eight months after demonetisation, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram asked the federal bank if it had heard of “leasing” equipment. “RBI buying note counting machines 8 months after demonetisation! Has RBI not heard of leasing,” he tweeted.
