New Delhi: The government has not conducted any independent assessment of the impact of demonetisation on the MSME sector and has no information about the retrenchment of workers due after note ban, a Union Minister said.

“The Ministry of MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) has not conducted any independent assessment of the impact of demonetisation on MSME sector,” Minister of State for MSME Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

However, during the phase of demonetisation, the Ministry held several meetings with various MSME associations.

On the question whether it is a fact that several MSME units closed their operations in November and December 2016, he said “no such information” was available with the ministry.

The information on the units where the work force was laid off post demonetisation is also not available with this ministry, he added.

The government on November 8 last year scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes leading to cash crunch in the system.

Source: India today