Note ban protest: Congress leaders detained; finance panel meet begins

Congress leaders and workers are holding a protest against demonetisation across the country today.

Reserve Bank of India offices in different cities are being gheraoed by the party.

Congress workers protested at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

In Ahemdabad, Senior party leaders Sushil Kumar Shinde, Shankersinh Vaghela and Bharatsinh Solanki have been detained by police during the protest.

Meanwhile, a crucial meeting of Parliament's standing committee on finance over the issue has begun with RBI Governor Urjit Patel expected to brief it on the matter.

Senior bureaucrats, including Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikant Das, Banking Secretary Anjuly Chib Duggal and Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, and top bank honchos like Chanda Kochhar of ICICI Bank and Usha Ananthasubramanian of Punjab National Bank are also to appear before the committee headed by Congress leader Veerappa Moily.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is one of its members.

Patel will brief the parliamentary panel about demonetisation and its impact on the economy and the steps taken by the central bank to deal with the cash crunch post withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

The meeting will discuss the 'demonetisation of Indian currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 and the impact thereof'.