Digital transactions can be implemented in Puducherry only in phases: CM VNarayanasamy

The Puducherry government has told the Centre that immediate implementation of digital transactions was not possible as the basic infrastructure required for it was not in place adequately, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said on Sunday.

“Digital transaction and demonetisation are absolutely impossible for implementation immediately in Puducherry since basic infrastructures, availability of swipe machines for shops and establishments, branches of banks in rural and semi urban areas were not in place adequately,” he told reporters.

Narayanasamy said he had made this clear to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the recent inter-state South Zone Council meeting in Thiruvananthapuram and also briefed Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely. Puducherry could implement the scheme only in a phased manner.

The Centre should not take Puducherry for granted and should not use the Union Territory for launching its schemes “if they are found to be injurious and unacceptable to the public,” he added.

He also said the demonetisation of high value currency notes had caused a ‘setback’ in revenue generation in the union territory.There was a promising trend of generating more revenue through tourism, industrial development, business and trade sectors.

However, post demoentisation, the trade and business had suffered, tourist flow had come down and revenue through sales tax and excise also had plummeted, he said. He declined to comment on the suspension and subsequent booking of a case against a senior Puducherry Civil Services officer for allegedly circulating an obscene video clip in an official whatsapp group, saying it was an administrative matter.

Lt Governor Kiran Bedi on Friday ordered the suspension ofRegistrar of Cooperative Societies A S Sivakumar.