People use app to check authenticity of notes
HYDERABAD: He spoke from the television sets. He spoke from the radio. And now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to speak from the new notes of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000, notwithstanding the 65 days since the announcement.
The post-demonetisation period has seen some innovative mobile applications like Walnut which helps a user locate an active ATM in their vicinity, there also have been several apps which seem to be a pale propaganda of the Centre’s move of scrapping the ‘big’ notes in favor of introducing that of a ‘bigger’ denomination.
One such app, available on android as well as Google playstore, is ‘Modi Keynote aka Modi Ki Note’ (Modi’s Note). The app, which boasts of 1,000,000 - 5,000,000 users, runs a video of Narendra Modi delivering a speech in favor of Note Ban when a mobile’s camera is held over a new Rs 500 or Rs 2,000 note. At the same time, it does not work when shown to any old currency notes. The PM, in his short speech, seeks support of citizens in the fight against black money.
Interestingly, the app carries a disclaimer: This app only for fun purposes only (sic). But, this is not of much help as several users consider the app to be an instrument to check the authenticity of the newly issued notes. “Earlier I laughed when people said that the new notes have chips in them. However, now I think there might be one after I watched the PM speak through a Rs 500 note,” said Sudhanshu, a BBA student living in Begumpet. A friend of his chipped in to say the app is a good way to check the authentic notes.
The other app, Modi Note displays Modi’s picture on the mobile screen when a new Rs 500 or Rs 2,000 is put under it. However, this is not where it ends. The app runs the video even without a note. On several instances, the PM starts delivering his speech even when the camera is focused on a white sheet of paper.