Extending his support to demonetisation, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said the move would have a long-term impact on the Indian economy.

While talking to media persons here, Chouhan said, “In future, people would benefit from the scrapping of currency notes of `1,000 and `500 and for smooth running of cashless economy, the State regime has constituted a task force, which would deliberate on providing relief to traders from the Value Added Tax.”

To a query on the Happiness Ministry, the Chief Minister said the demonetisation would add to happiness among the people. When asked about his happiest and saddest moments during his tenure, the Chief Minister said, ‘’The success of ladli laxmi Scheme was a great joy for me, while the death of 80 people due to an explosion at Petlabad in Jhabua district rendered me distraught.”

“However, there was no lapse on my part, but such incidents do give me pain,” Chouhan pointed added.

Expanding on the education scenario, the Chief Minister said the number of Government schools are more than the private schools, where the candidates got over 85 per cent marks and there is no school in the State sans a teacher.

He said the State regime would remit the fees for all sections for obtaining higher education and a policy would be formulated in this regard. The policy would be announced during the ‘Students Panchayat’, scheduled on January 12. Regarding the drawing of second line of leadership in the BJP, Chouhan replied.

To a query about his grass roots participation in each and every election campaign, the Chief Minister said, “‘This is an opportunity to establish contact with the people. Not only during elections, I used to mingle with people on other occasions also. Besides, it should be my duty to go to campaign for small leaders as they also attend the campaign trail of senior leaders.’”

About the increasing debt levied on the Government, Chouhan said the Government could take loan as per the prescribed limit. Earlier, the Government used to give `22 as interest for `100 loan, now the figure had come down to `9 only, he clarified.

Scotching the notion vis-a-vis an ‘overbearing’ bureaucracy, the Chief Minister said the officialdom comprised the implementation arm of the Government schemes.

About the outcome of the global investors’ summit, Chouhan said that `2,83,000 cr was invested, thus far.