A viral WhatsApp forward has people worried about a second wave of the unannounced demonetization in India. The message being forwarded by people on WhatsApp reads, “After 31st December 2019 you cannot change your Rs 2,000 notes.”
The message claims that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is withdrawing its highest cash denomination for the reissuing of Rs 1000 notes. The message also claims that Rs 1000 notes will be circulated in Indian markets from January 1, 2020, reported The Indian Express.
The rumour had started back in October after a RTI report said that the RBI had stopped the printing of Rs 2000 notes. The rumour spread quickly on WhatsApp which led the Press Information Bureau to announce in december that the information was just a rumour and had no weightage to it.
RBI confirmed the rumour as fake in a statement, it said, “These are all rumours. There has been no such notification (by the RBI). Please refer to the website for all communication.”
On december 11, the Minister of State for Finance Aurag Thakur also spoke on the issue in rajya Sabha. He said that the government had no such plans.
The Samajwadi party leader Vishambhar Prasad Nishad had asked Thakur if the government was planning to re-introduce Rs 1000 denomination note to replace Rs 2000 notes. Thakur answered saying, “This is the real worry (about demonetisation) which has surfaced now. I think that you should not worry about it.”
