Demonetisation led to decline in flesh trade in the country, says union min Ravishankar Prasad

Special Correspondent

NewsBits.in

In a statement that has evoked surprise, the union minister for information technology and senior BJP leader Ravishankar Prasad on Tuesday said that demonetisation led to decline in commercial sex work in the country.

Speaking to the media on eve of completion of one year of demonetisation, the minister listed this as one of the achievements of the big move by union government last year.

Prasad said that apart from decline in stone pelting in Kashmir and Maoists attack, flesh trade also saw decline post demonetisation. He claimed that the home ministry has figures to prove this. Prasad added that the middlemen in commercial sex trade who used to deal in cash were hit hard because of rise in digital payment.

The opposition Congress however lashed out against the minsiter following the state and leader of Opposition Ajay Singh asked the union minister to reveal the source on the basis of which he made claim that flesh trade declined post demonetisation.

Singh termed the claim as laughable. It also proves that Modi government couldn’t implement laws related to flesh trade effectively.

Prasad said that the only negative impact of demonetisation is of adjustment with the new system which the people would do. Congress is against honesty and therefore celebrating the day as black day.

Listing out the positive impacts of demonetisation, Prasad said that 1.5 lakh people deposited Rs 5 lakh crore in denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. Overall 23 lakh bank accounts with Rs 3.68 lakh crore were found suspicious.

Citing a particular example, Prasad said that a company that never made payment through bank deposited Rs 2484 crore during demonetisation phase. A raise of 26% in income tax too has been observed after the demonetisation, he added.