‘Digital transactions to be made more user-friedly’

BENGALURU: The cashless transaction systems will be made more user-friendly and people can even expect reduction in user charges for digital transactions, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, which marked one year since demonetisation of `1,000 and `500 currency notes was announced, Javadekar admitted that people faced hiccups in the initial days. As for user charges for cashless transactions, it has reduced at many places. “We want it to be further reduced. Major announcements in this regard will be made in the next budget. We want digital transactions to be more user-friendly,” he said.

The minister said the Modi government’s fight against black money will continue and more decisions on the issue will be taken in the coming months. The war on black money will continue and tangible results of the demonetisation exercise will be visible within a year, he said.

Javadekar said demonetisation led to several revelations. As many as 37,000 shell companies which used to convert black money to white have been identified and about 4.7 lakh dubious transactions to the tune of `3 lakh crore are being investigated. Over 400 properties worth `1,200 crore have been confiscated.
The Union government has passed four pieces of legislation to curb black money. Digital transactions have gone up by 50 per cent and the number of tax payers has also increased. Income tax returns witnessed a growth of 20 per cent. The government also blocked the Singapore-Cyprus-Mauritius route which was being used to channel out ill-gotten wealth, Javadekar said.

‘Indira let corruption breed’

Union minster Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday blamed Manmohan Singh for allowing the corrupt have a free run during the Congress rule. He also said that Singh’s hands were blackened like coal for signing documents related to coal block auctions, resulting in a huge scam.

“The first time it was proposed by V Y Chavan who was finance minister during the Indira Gandhi regime. Chavan said that corruption was growing and black money was being generated and there was a need to wipe it out,” said Javadekar.

“However, Indira Gandhi asked him, ‘Congress needs to fight elections. If we take such steps what will happen? Where will we get money from?’ ” he said. Modi had no such inhibitions, said Javdekar.