Cong seeks 18 pc interest to account holders till withdrawal

Demanding lifting of cash withdrawal limits with immediate effect, Congress today said 18 per cent per annum interest should be given to all bank account holders till post-demonetisation restrictions are in place.
AICC General Secretary and in-charge of party's Punjab affairs Asha Kumari also termed demonetisation a "surgical strike" by the Centre on poor, farmers, labourers, small businesses, middle class and the entire unorganised sector.
"All restrictions on withdrawal of money be lifted with immediate effect. Till the time these restrictions are in place, a special interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum should be given to all bank account holders," she said here.

The Congress also demanded that all charges on digital transactions should be abolished forthwith, she said.
Besides, an Income Tax and Sales tax rebate of 50 per cent should be given to small shopkeepers and businesses, she said, adding that the Central government should compensate the state governments for the loss of revenue incurred on account of this exemption.
She said that the number of guaranteed work days and the wage rate under MGNREGA should be doubled for a year.

"The government should organise a special drive to identify and register all those who have lost their jobs since November 8, 2016, and provide them compensation at the applicable minimum wage rate for a time period extending up to 31st March, 2017," she added.

She said that the rate of rations distributed under the PDS system should be halved for the period of a year under the provisions of the Food Security Act.
"In addition, a special one-time bonus of 20 per cent should be provided over and above the MSP of all Rabi crops," the party's Punjab in-charge said.
Deploring the demonetisation as "biggest scandal", she said the development of country has been badly affected since November 8.
"Through demonetisation Modi has hit out at 99 per cent people of the country at the cost of mere 50 families," she said.