Finding it hard to keep track of all the decisions on what you can and cannot do with your money after demonetisation? Here’s a timeline of 50 decisions taken by the Narendra Modi government these past 17 days since November 8 when it was decided that Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes will no longer be valid legal tender.
November 8 (Day 1)
1) Individuals can deposit Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes into your bank accounts and/or exchange in bank branches or issue offices of RBI till December 30, 2016.
2) Only up to Rs 4,000 can be exchanged after filled-in requisition slip is presented with proof of identity. Similar facilities will also be made available in Post Offices.
3) Limit of Rs 4,000 to be reviewed after 15 days (after Nov 23).
4) No limit on deposit of old denomination notes. But if your bank account is not KYC (Know Your Customer) compliant, only up to Rs 50,000 can be deposited in old notes. Proof of identity needs to be produced at bank.
5) The equivalent value of the Old High Denomination Bank Notes tendered can be credited to an account maintained by the tenderer at any bank in accordance with standard banking procedure and on production of valid proof of Identity.
6) The amount deposited can be transferred to any third-party account if you have authorised such transactions and provide proof of Identity.
7) Cash withdrawal from your own account over the counter is restricted to Rs 10,000, subject to overall limit of Rs 20,000 a week until the end of business hours on November 24, 2016.
8) Mo restriction on non-cash method of operating the account, including cheques, demand drafts, credit/debit cards, mobile wallets and electronic fund transfer mechanisms.
9) Withdrawal from ATMs restricted to Rs 2,000 per day per card up to November 18, 2016. The limit will be raised to Rs 4,000 per day per card from November 19, 2016.
10) Those unable to exchange old notes or deposit it before December 30, 2016 can do so at specified offices of RBI on later dates, along with necessary documentation specified by RBI.
11) Banks and government treasuries to be closed for a day on November 9, 2016.
12) All ATMs, cash deposit machines, cash recyclers and any other machine used for receipt and payment of cash will remain shut on November 9 and 10.
13) Bank branches and government treasuries will function from 10th November, 2016.
14) For the first 72 Hours, old notes will continue to be accepted at government hospitals and pharmacies in these hospitals/Railway ticketing counters/ticket counters of Government/Public Sector Undertaking buses and airline ticketing counters at airports; for purchases at consumer co-operative societies, at milk booths, at crematoria/burial grounds, at petrol/diesel/gas stations of Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies and for arriving and departing passengers at international airports and for foreign tourists to exchange foreign currency at airports up to a specified amount.
November 11 (Day 4)
15) Existing exemptions extended till November 14, 2016
16) Payment for court fees included in the exemptions
17) ID proof of customers required for transactions in consumer cooperative stores.
18) Payments towards utility bills restricted to only individuals/households for arrears and/or current bills. No advance payments will be allowed.
19) Payments in toll-plazas of the State and National Highways will be deleted from exemptions (Road Transport Ministry exempted toll payments completely – as on November 24, the decision was to extend the exemption till December 2).
November 13 (Day 6)
20)Chief Secretaries of States to identify rural pockets, if any, where cash availability is a problem and provide all support to banks and post offices to ensure last mile distribution of small denomination of notes, through mobile banking vans and Banking Correspondents (BCs).
21)Complaints about certain business houses (hospitals , caterers etc) not accepting Cheques/Demand Drafts and online payment transfer to made to District Magistrates/District Administration for action against them.
22)Government of Assam arranged mobile banking vans with support of banks and state government staff at certain hospitals for emergency banking transactions. All Banks advised to make similar arrangements for emergency payments to treat patients.
23)Banks advised to have separate queues for Senior citizens and persons with disablitiy. Separate queues also for exchange of cash-to-cash and transactions against bank accounts.
24)Banks and State Government staff of Arunachal Pradesh helped customers in remote areas open new bank accounts. All state governments requested to do the same as part of financial inclusion programme.
25)Business Correspondents’ limit of dispensing cash increased to Rs 2,500 for withdrawal from bank accounts.
26)Over-the-counter exchange limit raised from Rs 4000 to Rs 4500.
27)Cash Withdrawal limit at ATMs increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per day in recalibrated ATMs; other ATMs to continue to dispense Rs 50 and Rs 100 notes until recalibrated.
28)Weekly limit of Rs 20,000 for withdrawal from bank accounts raised to Rs 24,000; limit of Rs 10,000 a day removed.
29)Banks told to increase issuance/use of mobile wallets and debit/credit cards, and to provide them to customers and establishments not having access to these non-cash means of payment.
30)Last date for submission of annual life certificate for the government pensioners, which is to be submitted in November every year, extended up to January 15, 2017.
November 17 (Day 10)
31)In view of rabi planting season, farmers permitted to draw up to Rs 25,000 per week in cash from KYC compliant accounts. Facility also extended to Kisan Credit Cards (KCC).
32)Farmers selling produce from Kharif season in APMC markets/mandis can receive such payments in their KYC compliant bank accounts through cheque/ RTGS and will be permitted to draw up to Rs 25,000 per week in cash.
33)Traders/business entitites registered with APMC markets/mandis permitted to draw up to Rs 50,000 per week from KYC compliant accounts, to enable them to pay wages, facilitate easy loading, unloading and other activities at mandis.
34)Last date for payment of crop insurance premium extend by 15 days from due date.
35)Families celebrating weddings permitted to draw up to Rs 2,50,000 (each for boy’s family and girl’s family) from own KYC compliant bank accounts. The amounts can be drawn only by either of the parents or the person getting married, by furnishing PAN details. Only one of them will be permitted to draw this amount.
36)Limit of exchange of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes across the counter in banks reduced Rs 4,500 to Rs 2,000 from November 18, 2016.
37)Central Government employees up to Group `C’ including equivalent levels in the Defence and Para Military Forces, Railways and Central Public Sector Enterprises given option to draw salary advance up to Rs 10,000 in cash. This amount will be adjusted in their salary for November, 2016.
November 21 (Day 14)
38)Farmers allowed to buy seeds with old currency on production of proof of identity
November 23 (Day 16)
39). RBI and banks advised to make cash available to DCCBs.
40). Additional 60 days time given to small borrowers (loans up to Rs 1 crore) for repayment of dues. This will be applicable to personal and crop loans including housing and agricultural loans, taken from banks, NBFCs, DCCBs, PACS or NBFC- MFIs.
41)Transaction charges on RuPay cards (30 crore RuPay cards issued, including to Jan Dhan accounts) waived up to 31st December, 2016. Public sector banks and some private banks waived transaction charges on debit cards. Growth of nearly 300% in use of RuPay cards in past 12 days. National Payments Council of India (NPCI) already waived switching charges for RuPay Cards till December 31.
42)Monthly transaction limits for e-wallets raised from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 to promote usage.
43)Indian Railways waives service charges on e-tickets up to December, 2016. Daily average number of passengers buying e-tickets online is 58% and across the counter in cash is 42%.
44)SMS charge of Rs.1.50 per reduced to Rs.0.50 each for transactions related to banking and payments.
45)Road Transport Ministry advises the automobile manufacturers to provide ETC compliant RFID in all new vehicles for cash-less auto-collection of tolls.
46)Government organisations, PSUs advised to use only digital payment methods such as internet banking, unified payment interface, cards, Aadhar-enabled payment system etc to make payments to stakeholders and employees.
November 24 (Day 17)
47)Over-the-counter exchange of old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes discontinued. Deposit of old currency into bank accounts will continue.
48)Foreign citizens (including tourists) can exchange old Indian currency for foreign currency up to Rs 5,000 a week. Entries will be made in their passports.
49)Rs 1,000 denomination note will not be accepted henceforth for any transaction, even exempted ones. Only Rs 500 notes to be accepted for exemptions
50)Exemptions will only be applicable till December 15, 2016.
Here is a list of payments that can be made using Rs 500 notes till December 15.
a) School fees up to Rs. 2000 per student in central government, state government, municipality and local body schools
b) Fees of Central or State Government colleges
c) Pre-paid mobile top-up of up to Rs 500 per top-up
d) Purchases at consumer cooperative stores up to Rs 5,000 at a time
e) Water and electricity bill payment can be paid by individuals and households (not organisations). Both current bills and arrears can be paid.
f)Toll payments can be made from December 3 to December 15 (Road transport ministry has exempted toll payment till December 2)