‘RBI must set up NRI facilitation centres’

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 20

The Congress candidate from Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency Gurjeet Singh Aujla today stated that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should set up NRI facilitation centres at every district headquarter keeping in view the inconvenience being faced by NRIs for the exchange of scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes.

Resident Indian citizens, who were abroad from November 9 to December 30, can avail this facility up to March 31 and NRI citizens, who were abroad during this period, can also exchange phased out currency up to June 30. The facility is available at the RBI branches in Delhi and Mumbai.

Aujla said it was practically impossible to NRIs, who came for a short visit to India, to approach the RBI. He said the Modi government had amended its demonetisation decision more than 60 times, but still it had innumerable glitches one of which was the exchange system for residents and NRIs.

“Arriving Indians have to declare defunct notes at international airports. Afterwards, they have to visit the RBI branches in Delhi and Mumbai, which takes two to three days,” he added.

He suggested that the Modi government must open exchange centres at airports as well as at district headquarters in states.

The SBI and other nationalised banks must be authorised to facilitate people in the exchange process, added. He said the RBI had branches in almost all capitals of the states and UTs, but the government did not setup exchange centres there.

He demanded that the Union government must take measures to resolve the issue as soon as possible so that NRIs could enjoy their stay in India.