Instead of coming to the rescue of vast majority of population who are suffering a lot at banks and ATMs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers are advising them day in and day out to adopt `cashless economy’. Giving discourses on the need to move away from cash transactions and putting more trust on plastic currency.

Finance Minister Arun Jatiley said this morning that process of remonetisation will reduce the quantum of paper currency after 30th of this month. He also said it will change the way people are spending and shopping.

But surprisingly according to a study conducted by Venkatesh Nayak from Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), just months ahead of demonetization, a number of ministers had large cash holdings in their possession as on March 31, 2016.

It may be recalled that the Code of Conduct for Ministers requires them to declare their assets and liabilities in addition to other financial dealings with the Prime Minister‘s office annually. Interestingly, the biggest amount of “cash in hand” in the Council of Ministers was declared by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at more than Rs. 65 lakhs. Prime Minister declared Rs. 89,700 as cash in hand.

Nayak asks when all these Ministers went to banks or whom did they send to deposit these amounts and when, are very important Questions that every citizen must ask. Interestingly, senior ministers, including Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti did not comply with the Code of Conduct by not declaring their assets.

Other ministers, who declared big mounts of cash on hand are Shripad Yesso Naik , Minister of State and Hansraj Ahir, MoS (Home) him with Rs. 22 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh respectively. However, 23 of ministers had under Rs 2 lakh in cash while 15 had cash above 2.5 lakh.