Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday refused to answer the Opposition in Parliament, when questioned about whether the Centre planned to scrap the newly-issued Rs 2,000 notes. In the Rajya Sabha, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agrawal asked whether the government had plans to launch Rs 1,000 coins, as well, PTI reported.
“The government has made a decision to scrap Rs 2,000 notes,” Agrawal said during Zero Hour. “The RBI has been given orders to not print Rs 2,000 notes...If any policy decision has been made during a Parliament session, it is tradition to announce it in the House.”
The MP sought a clarification after reports that the Reserve Bank of India had stopped printing Rs 2,000 notes to speed up printing other denominations, including new Rs 200 notes. Officials familiar with the matter told Mint that the RBI had stopped printing Rs 2,000 notes about five months ago and was unlikely to print more this financial year.
The central bank began to print Rs 200 notes in June. The RBI had approved a proposal to introduce the currency in April.
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