Narendra Modi starts post-monetisation appraisal of ministers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking stock of his ministerial colleagues' initiatives to promote government's policies and has sought details of tours, if any, undertaken by them during the last three months, especially during the demonetisation exercise.

The prime minister is reported to have given the directive to carry out an exercise aimed at ascertaining whether the ministries and the various departments have promoted demonetisation and other initiatives

The ministers have been asked to submit details by Monday and minister for rural development Narendra Singh Tomar has been directed to coordinate with the ministries for this task, sources said.

The ministers have been asked to submit details of their tour programmes of the last three months and if they have not undertaken any tour, they should mention if they were in Delhi and attended office.

The idea is to engage ministers in constructive work rather than routine jobs of signing papers.

The prime minister's move is also part of the exercise of defending the dometisaion drive from criticism by the opposition,

The Congress and former finance minister P Chidambaram had termed the note ban decision as the "biggest scam of 2016". He also had forecast a lower GDO growth of 6-6.5 per cent in 2016-17, on the back of the demand fall caused by the demonetisation.

Without naming PM Modi, he said, "So, somebody hit [upon] an idea in his head. He decided to go on television and announce demonetisation, and the hit is Rs1.5 lakh crore (on GDP)."

However, the Rs15 crore was all not in the real economy – much of it was in the illicit side of the parallel economy.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley, has, meanwhile, said the dometisation will help bring the real economy to the fore and ensure tax compliance.   

PM Modi also hit back at the Congress party saying that he will not rest till those who looted the country paid back.

Addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradesh earlier, the PM had asked voters to give exemplary punishment to people who ruined their future.

He launched a frontal attack on Congress for "insulting" the armed forces by questioning the surgical strikes, "sleeping" over OROP for 40 years and for "indulging" in corruption.

"The time for those who looted the country for 70 years has come to an end. I promise that those who looted the country will have to pay back now. Neither will I rest nor will I let the looters rest in peace till this task is complete. It is time everyone gives an account now," Modi told his last poll rally in Pithoragarh ahead of the February 15 election.