Prime Minister Narendra Modi defends his controversial decision to ban high value bank notes.

Tens of millions of Indians have been scrambling to exchange their old bank notes after the government of Narendra Modi suddenly banned the 1,000 and 500 rupee notes back in November.

The government says the decision will help tackle corruption and stop what it calls "black money" - cash gained through illicit means.

Modi defended his decision in his New Year message and offered incentives, but the opposition says the entire campaign has been a failure.

What is behind Modi's plan and will it help the economy?

Presenter: Richelle Carey

Guests:

Sanjay Hedge - senior advocate of India's supreme court

Sreeram Chaulia - dean of the Jindal School of International Affairs; author of " Modi Doctrine"

Reetika Khera - development economist at the Indian Institute of Technology

Source: Al Jazeera News