Default in loan repayment: Govt instructed banks not to take harsh action against borrowers
New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said both public and private banks have been instructed that harsh steps should not be taken when it comes to the process of loan repayment and that they should handle such cases with sensitivity.
Sitharaman said this while making an intervention during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha on a question related to repayment of loans taken by small borrowers.
“I have heard complaints about how mercilessly loan repayments have been followed up by some banks. The government has instructed all banks, both public and private, that harsh steps should not be taken when it comes to the process of loan repayment and they should approach the matter with humanity and sensitivity in mind,” she said.
Meanwhile, the finance ministry said that there is no proposal to extend the deadline for the exchange of Rs 2,000 notes beyond September 30, 2023.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary replied in negative to a question about whether there is a proposal to extend the deadline for the exchange of Rs 2000 in banks beyond September 30.
“At present, this matter is not under consideration,” the minister said.
Chaudhary also replied in negative to another question about whether the government is planning to demonetise other high-denomination currency notes to eliminate black money.
The Reserve Bank, in a surprise move, on May 19 announced withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes from circulation but gave public time till September 30 to either deposit such notes in accounts or exchange them at banks.
According to the RBI, as much as 76 per cent of the Rs 2,000 currency notes in circulation have either been deposited or exchanged at banks.
In value terms, Rs 2,000 notes in circulation have come down to Rs 84,000 crore as on June 30 from Rs 3.56 lakh crore on the day of the announcement of withdrawal on May 19.
RBI said 87 per cent of the notes returned have been deposited in bank accounts by public while the remaining 13 per cent were exchanged by them in other denominations.
The minister further said that according to RBI, the withdrawal was a currency management operation planned to avoid any inconvenience to public or any disruption in the economy.
Further, withdrawal of Rs 2000 banknotes has been factored in, in the current year’s requirement and sufficient buffer stock of banknotes in other denominations is being maintained across the country to meet exchange / withdrawal requirements.
The Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes were introduced on November 10, 2016 to expeditiously meet the currency requirement of the economy post demonetisation of all Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes in circulation at that time.
Press Trust of India
