I/II. http://www.news18.com/news/india/indian-diplomats-could-face-reciprocal-action-warn-foreign-missions-1320410.html
Cash Crunch: Indian Diplomats Could Face Reciprocal Action, Warn Foreign Missions Parikshit Luthra | CNN-News18 ParikshitL First published: December 7, 2016, 6:32 PM IST | Updated: 15 hours ago New Delhi: After the Russian envoy shot off an angry letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding that the fifty thousand per week withdrawal limit for embassies be scrapped, the dean of the diplomatic corps has confirmed that some missions are thinking of recommending similar restrictions on Indian diplomats serving in their countries. Ever since demonetisation was announced on 8th November, several embassies have written to the MEA complaining about how their day to day functioning has been affected Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic and also the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps expressed his disappointment in an interview with CNN-News18. He said, “We understand this is not the responsibility of the MEA, but we were hoping some response would come from the Finance Ministry. However, even after writing two letters on behalf of all missions, we still have received no response”. Castellanos says the fact that their letters have gone unanswered has made some ambassadors upset. He added, “Some missions are thinking of recommending reciprocal action to their capitals and summoning of Indian envoys if the matter is not resolved”. Castellanos explained that 50,000 rupees is just not enough for big missions like Russia, US or China who have a large number of diplomats and Indian staff. [Video] He says, “Imagine if the Russian ambassador takes a delegation of ten people to a five star hotel. The bill will easily be above fifty thousand”. He also said, “Embassies like Russia and Finland are undergoing renovation work, so how will they pay the construction staff”. The Russian Embassy confirmed that their Ambassador had written a letter to the MEA but did not wish to comment further saying they are still waiting for a response. According to reports, the Russian government is thinking of summoning the Indian envoy to lodge a formal protest if the matter is not resolved soon. The MEA has refused to give a formal response to the Russian Ambassadors letter. Sources say, “This is not a matter limited to the Russian Embassy alone. An inter-ministerial task force has been setup and the matter rests with the department of economic affairs in the Finance Ministry”. II. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Embassies-protest-against-cash-curbs/articleshow/55844571.cms Embassies protest against cash curbs TNN | Dec 7, 2016, 04.36 AM IST [Video] NEW DELHI: A small pile of letters and protests from foreign missions in New Delhi is piling up with Union ministry of external affairs (MEA) as diplomats confront the currency crunch post the government's demonetisation drive. An inter-ministerial task force which was supposed to take certain decisions to ease the problems of foreign missions here has made its recommendations, but the Union finance ministry is yet to implement any of them. Russian ambassador Alexander Kadakin's letter threatening reciprocal action against Indian diplomats in Moscow found its way to the media. But similar letters have been sent to MEA by Hans Dannenberg Castellanos from the Dominican Republic, who is the current dean of the diplomatic corps posted in New Delhi, ambassadors of Ethiopia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The worst hit are Nepal and Bhutan, where Indian currency is legal tender. They have been asking for relief from the Indian government for weeks, without any decision forthcoming. With the Russians leading the charge, Kadakin's complaint has reportedly been forwarded to the PMO for an immediate decision. The government, already overwhelmed by the complexities of the rollout of the plan, has not yet focused on the foreign missions. The latter are asking for an increased ceiling for withdrawals, a dedicated window in bank branches to deal with their cash demands, and removal of cash curbs for foreign visitors on short visits. Sources said the task force, which met several times in the past few weeks, has already worked out a set of recommendations for both foreign diplomats and the Indian diaspora and also tried to address the huge problems being faced by India's neighbouring countries. In his letter, Kadakin said the limit set by the government is "not even enough to pay for a decent dinner" and inadequate for everyday running of the mission. "How can such a big embassy in Delhi function without cash?" he said in his letter. The Russian embassy has around 200 people living and working here. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
