Jean Dreaze and NK Singh differed in their views over notes ban and its impact.
Countering the charge that notes ban had slowed down India's economic growth, BJP's NK Singh, who also heads the centre's Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Review Panel, said: "Distinguished economists owe an explanation for having traumatised the nation falsely on the likely negative impact of demonetisation".
Prominent welfare economist and former member of the UPA's National Advisory Council, Jean Dreze however said the recently released GDP estimates are "speculative calculations" and don't necessarily imply that the growth rate the country has picked up post demonetisation.
Last week, at a rally in Uttar Pradesh, the Prime Minister had taken what was seen as a dig at Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen.
"Great intellectuals from Harvard, Oxford who served in high positions of the country's economic structure for 30-40 years, some said the GDP will fall by 2 per cent, others said by 4 per cent," the Prime Minister had said. "But the country is witness... what is the thinking of those from Harvard, and those who do hard work... hard work is stronger than Harvard.''
In response, economist Jean Dreze had said, "The Prime Minister needs an economics degree at least from an Indian University if not Harvard."
On whether the government is spending the right way on social welfare schemes, NK Singh said, "I am all for deepening the Aadhaar project which was started by the UPA government. I am in the favour of extending the digital platform and the direct transfer of the benefits for as many schemes as possible."
Jean Dreze however disagreed, saying, "I don't think that Aadhaar is a kind of magic weapon at all. I would rather have it kept out of social welfare programmes. Aadhaar is not improving the quality of social welfare programmes."