Besides Patel, Economic Affairs
Secretary Sashikanta Das and Financial Services Secretary Anjuly Chib
Duggal are also being asked to appear before the Committee.
A
Parliamentary panel has decided to summon Reserve Bank Governor Urjit
Patel again to explain how much of the junked currency has been
deposited in banks post note ban and the progress made in
remonetisation. The meeting of the Standing Committees on Finance,
headed by former cabinet minister M Veerappa Moily, has been tentatively
scheduled for April 20, sources privy to the development said.
Besides
Patel, Economic Affairs Secretary Sashikanta Das and Financial Services
Secretary Anjuly Chib Duggal are also being asked to appear before the
Committee.
The panel, which had last met on the issue of
“Demonetisation of Indian Currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000” on
January 18, is ascertaining the availability of the RBI and finance
ministry officials on April 20.
This possibly may be the last
oral evidence meeting of the committee before it finalises its report,
sources said, adding that another meeting may have to be called if Patel
does not appear on April 20.
The panel wants to know from the
RBI Governor as well as the finance ministry officials the number of
junked currency that was deposited in bank accounts post November 8,
2016 decision to demonetise higher denomination notes.
Also, it
wants a brief on the process of remonetisation and by when is the entire
progress of replacing the junked notes, which constituted 86 per cent
of the total currency in circulation, will be replaced.
At the
last meeting, Patel had not disclosed the number of banned notes that
had been deposited in banks and had only stated that 9.2 lakh crore of
new currency notes had been introduced. A total of Rs 15.44 lakh crore,
representing about 86 per cent of all currency, was declared void on
November 8 last year.
Sources said MPs may also like to question
RBI and finance ministry officials on the rules being changed virtually
on a daily basis on deposit of the junked currency.
At the last meeting, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had saved Patel from some tough questioning by his fellow party MPs.
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