Most of Rs 2,000 banknotes returned; Rs 6,839 cr worth notes still with public
Mumbai, Dec 2: The Reserve Bank on Monday said 98.08 per cent of the Rs 2,000 banknotes have been returned to the banking system, and only Rs 6,839 crore worth such notes are still with the public.
On May 19, 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes from circulation.
The total value of Rs 2,000 banknotes in circulation, which was Rs 3.56 lakh crore at the close of business on May 19, 2023, has declined to Rs 6,839 crore at the close of business on November 29, 2024, RBI said.
"Thus, 98.08 per cent of the Rs 2,000 banknotes in circulation as on May 19, 2023, has since been returned," it said in a statement.
The facility for deposit and/or exchange of the Rs 2,000 banknotes was available at all bank branches till October 7, 2023. However, this facility is still available at the 19 issue offices of the Reserve Bank.
From October 9, 2023, the RBI issue offices are also accepting Rs 2,000 banknotes from individuals and entities for deposit into their bank accounts.
Further, members of the public can also send Rs 2,000 banknotes through India Post from any post office within the country to any of the RBI issue offices for credit to their bank accounts.
The Rs 2,000 banknotes continue to be legal tender.
The 19 RBI offices depositing/exchanging the banknotes are in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Belapur, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Patna and Thiruvananthapuram.
The Rs 2,000 banknotes were introduced in November 2016, following the demonetisation of the then-prevailing Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 banknotes.
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Theatre actor playing demon in Ramayana kills pig on stage, eats meat raw in Odisha; arrested
Bhubaneswar/Berhampur, Dec 2: A 45-year-old theatre actor playing the role of a demon in Ramayana was arrested after he ripped the stomach of a live pig on stage and ate its meat in Odisha's Ganjam district, police said.
The incident sparked a statewide outrage and was condemned in the assembly on Monday.
Besides the actor, identified as Bimbadhar Gouda, one of the organisers of the play that took place in Ralab village in Hinjili police station area on November 24 was also arrested for cruelty to animals and violation of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Ruling BJP members Babu Singh and Sanatan Bijuli strongly condemned the incident in the assembly.
Action was taken against the duo after videos of the incident went viral on social media, with animal rights activists also condemning it and calling for strong action against the accused.
"We are also looking for the persons who displayed snakes in the theatre. They will also be arrested soon," Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sunny Khokar said.
He, however, did not disclose the name of the arrested organiser.
The state government, in a guideline issued in August last year, prohibited the public display of snakes, including by certified snake handlers.
"We have registered a case against the theatre actor who killed the pig and ate its meat in the theatre, and arrested him," said Hinjili police station inspector-in-charge Srinibas Sethy said.
To attract audience, the theatre group displayed snakes while a demon ripped the stomach of a live pig with a knife, which was tied to a ceiling of the stage and ate some of the organs in full public view, he said.
A group of the villagers organised the theatre on the occasion of Kanjianal Yatra in the village.
