No form or identity proof required for exchanges of Rs 2,000 notes
New Delhi (PTI): No form or requisition slip is required for exchange of Rs 2,000 notes up to a limit of Rs 20,000 at a time as part of exercise to withdraw high-value currency notes from circulation.
RBI on Friday in a surprise move announced withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes from circulation but gave public time till September 30 to either deposit such notes in accounts or exchange them at banks.
Unlike the November 2016 shock of demonetisation, when old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were invalidated overnight, the Rs 2,000 notes will continue to be a legal tender.
In a communication to chief general manager of all its local head offices, State Bank of India (SBI) informed that the facility of exchange of Rs 2,000 notes by public up to a limit of Rs 20,000 at a time will be allowed without obtaining any requisition slip.
With regard to deposit of such notes in own account, RBI has not specified any limit but it will be subject to compliance with extant Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and other applicable statutory requirements.
"Further, no identity proof is required to be submitted by the tenderer at the time of exchange," the communication dated May 20 said.
It has asked its local head offices to arrange and extend all cooperation to the public so that the exercise is conducted in a smooth and seamless manner without any inconvenience.
According to sources, one can stand any number of times in queue for exchange of Rs 2,000 notes.
Although the facility for exchange is available from May 23, many customers were seen visiting their branches with the Rs 2,000 notes on Saturday.
Bank officials returned such customers after advising them about the start date for exchange.
Some of the customers used cash deposit machines on Saturday to deposit Rs 2,000 notes in their accounts.
Many have tried jewellery shops to buy gold and other precious metals. However, jewellers are also hesitant in accepting Rs 2,000 notes and asking for KYC beyond prescribed cash purchase in many parts of the country.
According to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes by the Reserve Bank of India will not affect the trade of the small traders but will certainly hit the big and affluent class which might have stocked Rs 2,000 notes in large quantities.
CAIT does not anticipate any disturbance in trade activity due to this move.
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Bihar: Woman alleges gang rape in ambulance after fainting during govt recruitment exam
Gayaji (PTI): A woman here has alleged that she was gang-raped inside an ambulance which drove her to a hospital after she fainted during a government recruitment test, police said on Saturday.
Two persons, identified by the complainant who had appeared at a recruitment drive for home guards, have been arrested, they said.
"When the woman fainted, on July 24, she was rushed to the Anugrah Narain Medical College and Hospital at Gayaji in an ambulance. After she regained consciousness, she alleged that she was raped inside the vehicle," said SP (Town), Gayaji Ramanand Kumar Kaushal.
"We thereafter detained the driver and a technician who were in the ambulance. The woman also identified them. Their reply was not satisfactory, so they were arrested and booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita," he added.
Kaushal said the medical examination of the complainant has been completed, and based on the findings of the reports, further action will be taken.
Meanwhile, the incident drew strong criticism from Union minister Chirag Paswan, who supports the NDA government in the state, as well as the opposition.
Before leaving for Gayaji to address a rally, Paswan told reporters in Patna, "The incident is deplorable. The guilty may have been caught, but the administration is obviously unable to prevent such crimes. The situation is scary, and I regret that I am supporting a regime that is incapable of controlling law and order."
Leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, shared on X a news clipping of the incident with the hashtag "vote out of power the Nitish Kumar government to protect the girl child (Nitish sarkar Hatao beti bachao).
The RJD leader also alleged that Bihar was under the "rule of demons (rakshas raj)" and accused Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and "his two so-called deputies" of a "criminal silence" on such incidents.
State Congress president Rajesh Kumar alleged, "The incident at Gayaji is reflective of a collapse in law and order, which is not surprising given the unruly behaviour of the ruling dispensation as witnessed in the recently held assembly session. Our party is committed to ensuring that the girl gets justice."
