NO PROPOSAL TO RECOGNISE BITCOIN AS CURRENCY, CENTRE TELLS LS

The government does not collect data on Bitcoin and has no proposal to recognise it as a currency, said the Ministry of Finance on Monday. The reply by the Ministry came after Members of Lok Sabha Sumalatha Ambareesh and D.K. Suresh asked whether the government was aware that Bitcoin transactions were silently booming in India in recent years. “The Government does not collect data on Bitcoin transactions,” said the ministry in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

Asked whether the government has any proposals to recognise Bitcoin as a currency in the country, the ministry replied, “No.” The winter session of the Parliament commenced on Monday.

Also on Monday, the Central government introduced a unique face recognition technology for pensioners aimed at bringing ease of living for the retired and the elderly citizens. The move is expected to benefit 68 lakh Central government pensioners as well as crores of pensioners who fall outside the jurisdiction of the Department of Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and state government. Launching the face recognition technology for pensioners, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said “this will bring ease of living for the retired and the elderly citizens”.

The minister said that the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always sought “ease of living” for all sections of society including the retirees and pensioners who are the nation’s assets with all their experience and long years of service rendered by them. He also reiterated that during the Corona pandemic too, the Department of Pension brought about several reforms for the release of provisional pension and family pension.