-PTI Mumbai: Defying the impact of the note-ban which has yanked down consumer sentiment, rural wages have been on a steady upward spiral, rising by 7.3 per cent in November, suggesting a likely release of pent-up demand after demonetisation, says a report. “Nominal rural agricultural wages rose to 7.3 per cent year-on-year in November, from 6.9 per cent in October, remaining well above the previous 12-month average of 4.8 per cent,” Japanese...

-The Hindu The primary aim of the demonetisation exercise was to tap black money. To mark the last day for depositing the demonetised notes, on December 31, 2016, the Prime Minister, in his address to the nation, fully acknowledged the great hardship suffered by common people due to the serious delay in making the new currency notes available in the banks, ATMs and rural areas, and thanked them for the faith...

-The Hindu Business Line 'RBI working on cutting transactions costs on digital payments' New Delhi: RBI Governor Urjit Patel, who appeared before the Public Accounts Committee looking into demonetisation and its impact on monetary policy, told the panel that the country’s infrastructure is not ready for a cashless economy. He assured the panel that the RBI is working out ways to reduce transaction costs involved in digital payments. As was the case when he...

-The Hindu Kalyanrao Jalji has cultivated carom seeds in drought-prone Chittapur taluk of Kalaburagi district Karnataka: When disturbing stories of agrarian crisis caused by drought were coming from across the State, Kalyanrao Jalji, a progressive farmer from Gotur village in drought-prone Chittapur taluk in Kalaburagi district, was making handsome profit. Cultivation of carom seeds (ajwain), a spice widely used in Indian kitchens for preparing delicacies as well as in pharmaceutical companies for...

-The Economic Times Members of the Parliamentary standing Committee on Finance on Wednesday criticised Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel for his inability to answer queries related to demonetisation. "Patel was unable to tell us how much money has come back to the banks," said Saugata Roy, TMC MP. "The governor was unable to tell us that how much old currency has come into the banks," added Saugata Roy. Sources also quoted...