Venkaiah Naidu tells BJP MPs to attend 10 events in 10 districts by March

Union ministers are set to tour the country, including poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, to spread the message of the NDA government’s good governance and benefits of its demonetisation decision.

The move is aimed at blunting the Opposition’s belligerent attack on the government after it recalled Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, triggering a cash crunch in the country.

The ministers have been told to participate in 10 programmes covering 10 districts till next March and reach out to their constituents to explain the “long-term” benefits of the move to demonetise the two high-value notes.

This is part of a Sushashan Diwas, or good governance day, programme that the government has rolled out on December 25 to mark former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday.

In a letter to his colleagues, information and broadcasting minister M Venkaiah Naidu said they should visit the districts to popularise the government’s welfare initiatives.

“The occasion could be seized also to explain to your constituents the reasons behind the demonetisation move and its long-term benefits for the country and its economy so that the Opposition’s malicious propaganda is effectively countered,” Naidu wrote.

The ministers will spread the word on the importance of digital payments in line with the government’s push for cashless transactions.

Besides, Naidu has also told his colleagues to popularise the “good governance” and “pro-poor” initiatives of the government.

“In order that good governance carried from Vajpayee ji to Modi ji is disseminated among the people, it has been decided to observe a 95-day long good governance period starting December 25 to March 2017 to highlight the period of prime ministership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in NDA-I and also the good governance and pro-poor welfare initiatives under the leadership of Narendra Modi during NDA-II,” Naidu’s letter read.

Soon after coming to power in 2014, the Modi government had decided to celebrate December 25 as good governance day.

But this time around, with an eye on assembly elections next year in five states, the government decided to extend the programme to 95 days.