A fortnight after Prime Minister Narendra Modi demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, he is asking Indians to share their thoughts on the move with him through a survey app.
Seeking feedback on the withdrawal of high-value notes, Modi tweeted on Tuesday, “I want your first-hand view on the decision taken regarding currency notes. Take part in the survey on the NM App.”
The poll is available for Android, iOS, and Windows smartphones on the free Narendra Modi app.
The survey, consisting of 10 questions, does not seem very exhaustive. Indeed, the queries and the available answers appear to be framed in such a way that there is little window for criticism.
Some questions on black money, terrorism and corruption, for instance, only offer “Yes” or “No” responses.
A sample of the questions: “Do you think that black money exists in India?” followed by “Do you think the evil of corruption and black money needs to be fought and eliminated?”
Multiple choice questions include: “Do you think demonetisation will help in curbing black money, corruption and terrorism?” and “Demonetisation will bring real estate, higher education, healthcare in common man’s reach?”
Other questions ask users to rate the move of demonetisation. Using interactive tools, the app invites citizens to scroll a pointer, and mark their level of satisfaction in the “Share Your Opinion” section.
Each registered user is only allowed to take the survey once.
According to a Mobile Internet in India 2015 nationwide survey, only 9% percent of rural India has access to mobile technology. It is currently unclear how many of these people have been asked to respond to Modi’s survey.
Citizens took to social media to question the prime minister’s move.
The feedback app comes at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is under intense attack from the Opposition, which is critical of the inconvenience caused by demonetisation to the common man.
On Tuesday, for a second day in a row, the parliament session was a complete washout following the Opposition’s protest. The Opposition has also announced that it will stage a sit-in protest outside the Parliament on Wednesday, offering Modi at least some feedback.