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Candies in place of coins should be made offence

Kashmir Times. Dated: 9/25/2016 11:44:51 PM

Dear Editor,
Traders once adopted practice of giving unwanted items like candies and chocolates out of compulsion when there was shortage of coins. But experience reveals that now there is no such practical shortage of coins at least as observed in capital city of Delhi. Yardstick is present sufficient availability of coins with DTC conductors who also earlier faced shortage of coins.
But clever traders even now continue with unhealthy practice of giving candies/chocolates in place of coins because they earn huge percentage-margins on these unwanted items forcibly ‘sold’ to consumers in place of coins. Traders even do not care to banks for procuring coin-bags.
Department of Consumer Affairs used to give newspaper-advertisements advising consumers not to accept candies/chocolates in place of coins but at wrong time when there was actual shortage of coins. Now it is time when not only Department of Consumer Affairs but even Reserve bank of India (RBI) may give educative advertisements for public not to accept unwanted items like candies/chocolates in place of coins. RBI should even publicise list of bank-branches where coin-bags are available and coin-machines are installed. But RBI should also ensure that coin-bags may be issued only on requisition of actual traders so as to avoid reaching them to black-marketers of coin-bags which are situated in plenty in areas in and around wholesale-market of new currency-notes and coin-bags at Kachcha Bagh of Chandni Chowk (Delhi). ‘Selling’ of new currency-notes and coin-bags at premium, and misuse of new currency-notes in garlands should be made non-bailable criminal offence. RBI should make capital city of Delhi as model-city for sufficient supply of coins.
—Subhash Chandra Agrawal,
1775 Kucha Lattushah
Dariba, Chandni Chowk Delhi.