Banks to continue accepting scribbled notes, says RBI
RBI dismisses rumours that it has stopped banks from accepting such notes from Jan 1.
Mumbai: Banks will continue to accept currency notes with scribbling, the Reserve Bank said on Tuesday, dismissing rumours that it has stopped banks from accepting such notes from Wednesday (January 1, 2014).
"In the wake of rumours circulating in the market that from January 1, 2014, banks will not accept banknotes with anything written on them, the RBI has urged members of public not to fall prey to such rumours and to use their banknotes without any fear," RBI said in a notification. RBI said it has not issued any such instructions.
However, it reiterated that writing or scribbling on banknotes works against its 'clean note policy' and sought co-operation from public, institutions and others in keeping the banknotes clean by not writing anything on them.
Referring to its August instructions on 'clean note policy', the RBI said banks were advised to instruct their staff not to scribble or write on the body of the banknotes.
The instruction was issued as it was observed that the bank officials themselves were in the habit of writing on banknotes which went against the 'clean note policy'.
RBI in August had said it has been noticed that at certain branches of banks, the practice of writing/scribbling on the body of the banknotes continues to remain in vogue.
Under the present system of mechanised processing of banknotes, RBI said, inscription or scribbling on any part of the banknote would render it to be classified as unfit for reissue.
Accordingly, such banknotes get treated as soiled banknotes and cannot be recirculated.
RBI to issue Rs 500 banknotes with rupee symbol
The Reserve Bank will soon issue Rs 500 banknotes with rupee symbol in the Mahatma Gandhi Series- 2005.
"The RBI will shortly issue Rs 500 denomination banknotes incorporating rupee symbol on the obverse and reverse, with inset letter 'R' in both the numbering panels, in the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005," RBI said in a notification.
The banknotes would be bearing the signature of RBI governor Raghuram G Rajan and the year of printing '2013' printed on the reverse of the banknote, it said.
The design of these notes to be issued now is similar in all respects to the Rs 500 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 issued earlier, it added. All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs 500 issued by the central bank in the past will continue to be a legal tender, RBI further said.