Economic Reporter //

Interim government’s financial advisor Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, on Khaled Mohiuddin’s talk show, will the new money have Sheikh Mujib’s picture? Or will the picture of another person be seen on the new money? He gave details about when the new money could be available.

The financial advisor blamed the Central Bank’s late decision for not releasing the new money on Eid. He said, “Whatever the Central Bank could have done, they could have judged it themselves. We can’t say everything, change the design or put so many pictures, during my time (when I was the governor) but there was no picture on the money. I didn’t give it. Because, some say we won’t give Nazrul’s picture, some say give Rabindranath’s picture, I say what’s the problem if we give Kaikobad’s picture? I said, do we need the person’s picture? You give historical things, but no one raised any questions at that time, at that time pictures of mosques and temples were given.’

Informing when the new money will be available, the financial advisor said, ‘Now Bangabandhu’s picture has been given. Anyway, now they are running out. They actually gave the design much later, and we looked at it quickly. But now they are saying it will take time. But the chief advisor has also expressed quite a bit of anger about all this. He asked me why your people are coming so late? I said not my people, it is actually Bangladesh Bank that does it. We actually gave it in a day or two but Bangladesh Bank is taking time. Bangladesh Bank has said that it will be given by April.’

He also said, ‘But now they are saying they can give old money, by old they mean what they have now, 500 and 1000. They asked whether they will add these there, we said ‘no’. Because when the new government comes, then they will say that you cannot give it, so why are you giving them. Most of them will ask the question, why this money? What people are saying is that it is better to give new money. But I say no, let there be a little shortage. If necessary, people will use credit cards. If necessary, they will transfer to the bank. Is there so much need for new money at this time? I will gift 500 taka notes to my people for this.

Asked whether there will be a picture of a person on the new money, the financial advisor said, “The design will be coming to us in mid-December. Then, after coming to the chief advisor, he sat down with all of them and looked at it within a day or two. But it is unfortunate that we will not get new money on Eid. And this time, the design of the new money will not have a picture of a person.”

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