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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Picking up the pieces -Pronab Sen

Picking up the pieces -Pronab Sen

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published Published on Nov 19, 2016   modified Modified on Nov 19, 2016
-Ideas for India

In an earlier article, Pronab Sen, Country Director, IGC India Central, examined some of the economic consequences of the recent demonetisation of Rs. 1,000 and 500 notes in India, and concluded that the potential damage could be substantial, both in terms of growth and equity.

In this article, focussing on solutions, he contends that the government now needs to realise that credit for production purposes is at least as, if not more, important than providing liquidity for consumption.

In an earlier article, I had examined some of the economic consequences of the recent demonetisation of Rs. 1,000 and 500 notes in India, and concluded that the potential damage could be substantial, both in terms of growth and equity. However, economists are not, or rather should not be, only storm crows. While pointing out the dangers looming in the future, it is also incumbent on us to suggest ameliorative, if not solutions. Whether these are accepted or not is a different matter altogether, but one should at least try. This article is in that spirit, and should therefore be read as a companion piece to the earlier – a balm to soothe the impending hurt.  

The point that I had made earlier was that the demonetisation will have serious supply-side effects involving loss of both production and employment, especially in the informal sector. The measures that have been taken by the government so far are mostly designed to address the demand-side issues in an orderly and equitable manner. This is no doubt essential, but the hope that the liquidity released will rapidly percolate to the production side is seriously questionable. The greater likelihood is that most people will curtail their current consumption and try to rebuild their precautionary cash holdings as quickly as they can. The net result is that the currency in active circulation will be significantly lower than the currency pumped in, which means a continuing lack of liquidity in the informal sector. So what are the alternatives?

The first best and most elegant option is to do what should have been done in the first place – announce that both the old and the new currencies will be legal until 31 December, after which the former will become so much scrap paper. If all the procedural checks that have been imposed are kept intact, as they should, I do not see how this would be less effective in addressing counterfeiting and in penalising black money holders than what is happening now. However, far too much political capital has been invested in the current design, and any back-tracking will involve serious loss of face. As they say: it just ain’t gonna happen! Which leaves us then with the “Band Aid” approach.

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Ideas for India, 18 November, 2016, http://www.ideasforindia.in/Article.aspx?article_id=1726


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