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Demonetization has resulted in sharp decline in terror funding, hawala trade, supari killings and human trafficking of young girls as sex slaves, mainly from Nepal and the North East, said Union Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday speaking at a seminar.
Addressing the seminar, jointly organized by the Press Club of India, Indian Women Press Corps and the Supreme Court Lawyers’ Conference, he said that a new India, much stronger will emerge, transcending the barriers of caste, creed and religion with the November 8 decision of scrapping old Rs.500 and Rs.1000 notes.
Indicating that the government would not hesitate to take steps to widen the tax base, he said that development was not possible without enlarging the tax kitty as there was “only about Rs.5 lakh crore in the kitty of Finance Minister for development” before the demonetisation move, which he said would grow rapidly now.
“Every government comes and goes. Our government is transformative government and tools of technology are actively aiding the good governance. There are 110 crore Aadhar cards and 104 crore mobile connections today. Digital governance means faster delivery and even poor and illiterate people in rural areas are showing a new confidence in embracing the digital technology which has given a new vision of hope,” the Law and IT Minister said.
The Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad addressing the seminar jointly, organised by the PCI, IWPC and the Supreme Court Lawyers Conference, in New Delhi on January 12, 2017. (PIB Photo)
He also cited examples of Imran Khan, a mathematics teacher from a school in Alwar, Rajasthan whose mobile apps had benefitted 40 lakh children and a woman Satama Devi, a beedi worker from Telangana who had learnt how to use Skype to talk to her grandson in Dubai. “People like these are change agents. They believe in this new fast emerging India,” he noted.
The minister said that Aadhar enabled bank payments through smart phone would prove to be a “game changer” and a tool of empowerment. He said that out of 125 crore people only 3.7 crore pay taxes and 99 lakh file Income Tax returns but have no taxable income, two crore people show annual income of Rs. 6 lakh and only 24 lakh have an annual income of Rs. 10 lakh and above. The Law and IT Minister said that a panel, led by Justice Sri Krishna, had been set up to give a report within three months on making India a hub of arbitration.
Former Chief Justice of India M. N. Venkatachaliah who presided over the seminar on “Fundamental Duties and Economic and Judicial Reforms” stressed upon social evolution and education of young minds who can build a better India.
