PMC scam: RBI further increases withdrawals to Rs 25,000
Mumbai, Oct 3: The Reserve Bank on Thursday enhanced the withdrawal limits for depositors of the scam-hit Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative Bank to Rs 25,000 from Rs 10,000 per account over the next six month.
This is the second time the regulator has increased the withdrawal limits since its clamped down on the bank on September 23 when it had capped it a low Rs 1,000 per customer which led to lot of distress and criticism.
Since then PMC, which has among the top 10 cooperative banks with a deposit of over Rs 11,600 crore, is under an administrator appointed by the RBI the past management is being probed by the economic offences wing of the city police.
"We again reviewed PMC Bank's liquidity position and with a view to reducing the hardship of depositors, have decided to further enhance the limit for withdrawal to Rs 25,000 (during the pendency of the six months operational restrictions on the bank)," RBI said in a statement.
With the above relaxation, more than 70 percent of the depositors of the bank will be able to withdraw their entire account balance, the central bank said as most of its account holders have an average balance of just about Rs 10,000. The total retail despot is worth Rs 915 crore.
The regulator further said it has also decided to appoint a three-member committee to assist the administrator JB Bhoria.
The Reserve Bank is monitoring the position of the bank very closely and will continue to take necessary steps in the interest of depositors, it added.
On September 23, RBI had put regulatory restrictions on the bank after finding irregularities, and misreporting of loans given to real estate developer HDIL, with whom it has an exposure of a whopping 73 percent or Rs 6,500 crore of its total loan book of Rs 8,880 crore. The entire loan has been NPA for the past two-three years.
The restriction included barring the bank from lending and accepting fresh deposits. It also superseded the board and the management of the bank and appointed an ex-RBI official as the administrator at the bank.
The RBI had initially set the withdrawal limit of Rs 1,000 per account but it was later increases to Rs 10,000 per account on September 26 for six months.
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Assam: RSS files police complaints against Kharge for 'derogatory' remarks at poll rally
Guwahati (PTI): The RSS on Wednesday said it has filed complaints at two police stations in Assam against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for allegedly comparing the ideology of the organisation and the BJP with a 'poisonous snake' at an election rally.
The complaints were filed to seek legal action over alleged ''derogatory, provocative, and communally sensitive statements made during a recent election rally in south Assam, a RSS spokesman said
In the complaints, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh alleged that the Congress chief had made controversial remarks during an election rally in Nilambazar under the Karimganj South assembly constituency in Sribhumi district.
"If a poisonous snake is moving in front of you while you are offering namaz, you must stop the prayer and rush to kill the poisonous snake first - that is what the Quran prescribes you to do. I tell you that the RSS and BJP are like that same poisonous snake,” Kharge was quoted as saying in the complaints.
The RSS expressed serious concern, claiming that such remarks were "inflammatory in nature and capable of inciting hostility, intimidation, and violence against workers and supporters of the RSS and the BJP".
The complaints pointed out that the statement constitutes a ''corrupt electoral practice under Section 83 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the remarks criminally intimidated the public and promoted enmity between supporters of different political and social groups''.
Describing the ideology of RSS and BJP as “poisonous” and calling for their elimination could encourage "bodily harm against members and supporters of these organisations", the complaints said.
Kharge's remarks attempt to promote ''communal division between Hindu and Muslim communities, potentially disturbing public peace and harmony in Assam and influencing the electoral environment", the RSS said.
The complainants also claimed that such statements might lead to communal tensions or clashes if not addressed promptly by authorities.
The complaints were filed by RSS' North Assam secretary Khagen Saikia at Dispur Police Station and South Assam's secretary Jyotsnamoy Chakraborty at Silchar PS.
The BJP had also filed complaints on the same allegations at the Basishta Police Station here and with the Election Commission on Tuesday.
