During the ongoing proceedings in Parliament, the central government openly expressed its inability to control the rapidly falling value of the Indian Rupee against the US Dollar, leaving many observers surprised and concerned. Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, stated in the House that the value of the Rupee is determined purely by market forces and that the government cannot regulate its range. In what many termed a “shockingly honest” admission, the government made it clear that it has no active mechanism in place to strengthen the Rupee, except to “monitor the situation” in special circumstances. The bigger question, however, remains: what exactly qualifies as a “special circumstance”? Is it when the Rupee crosses 90 against the Dollar? Or only when it touches the century mark? At a time when the Rupee continues to weaken sharply and economic uncertainty looms large, expectations from the government were for strong regulatory intervention or corrective steps. Instead, the response sounded more like a helpless shrug of responsibility. Interestingly, the Finance Minister was present in the House when this response was delivered, sparking further debate over the seriousness of the situation. For many, this response reflects not transparency, but a worrying lack of preparedness.
