In an unexpected announcement, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1000 to keep a check on black money transaction.
If you think it is the Prime Minister who came up with this idea, you are wrong.
Nearly a decade ago, Pune-based organization
Arthakranti, which has roots in Pune and Nagpur, was briefing Narendra Modi, then the chief minister of
Gujarat, on a new economic model.
Deshmukh said
Arthkranti had worked shoulder to shoulder with the Prime Minister's Office in implementing the idea.
"Direct meetings with the
PMO lasted throughout 2015, the final session being in November last. After that, the government continued to take inputs from us on a regular basis. The last time when a query came to us was a month ago. We had prepared an extensive data on black money and the disadvantages of a cash economy," Deshmukh said in reports.
Arthakranti's campaign peaked around the 2014 general elections. It had the support of the
BJP which eventually came to power.
Arthakranti is run by a group of 17 trustees, including
Atul Deshmukh, a chartered accountant residing in Nagpur.
Arthakranti says that it has no political links and had met leaders of all parties including
Sonia Gandhi of the
Congress. "There was great support from
Nitin Gadkari, Subramaniam Swamy, and
Andhra Pradesh chief minister
Chandrababu Naidu," said Deshmukh.
"We had placed our idea before the
UPA leaders when the Congress was in power too," he added.
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which is led by city-based chartered accountant BC
Bhartia, too claimed to have strongly lobbied for a cashless economy with the government. "
Recently a meeting was held with the minister of commerce
Nirmala Sitharaman for having a digital system of payment. We also had discussions with Niti Ayog CEO
Amitabh Kant and also the finance ministry," said Bhartia.
