We need a stimulus package: Abhijit Banerjee tells Rahul Gandhi during video interaction

Banerjee made the remarks at a time when India is witnessing a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.

"We need a stimulus package," he said.

"It is important to revive demand, nothing bad will happen if we give bottom 60 percent with more money."  Banerjee was quoted as saying in the video shared by the Congress.

"Spending is the best way to revive economy," he said. 

He said a temporary ration card should be given to the citizens at the present moment.

"Give temporary ration cards to anybody who wants one. We have enough rice and wheat. The rabi crop harvest will also be coming in. We need to keep giving out food to anybody who needs it," the Nobel Prize winner said during his interaction with the former Congress president.

The Congress party shared a video where Rahul Gandhi could be seen interacting with Banerjee via video conference.

Banerjee said he was completely surprised when he won the Nobel prize last year.

"It came out of the blue. There was no premonition, or expectation. I never thought about it, I was completely surprised," he said.
"I am not saying it was not a big deal, I was saying that you can obsess about it but it’s not like there is a process for it understood by anybody. So, anything can happen," Banerjee said.

Banerjee became the second Indian person to receive the Nobel Prize in economics after Amartya Sen.