‘Give me my money’ is the slogan being raised by all aggrieved depositors of the Punjab Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank who have been unable to withdraw their hard earned money. Charanjit Kaur (40), who holds an account in its Sion branch, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to listen to her sufferings with her source of livelihood being severely affected due to the lockdown.
Kaur suffers from Polio and is unable to walk. A part of the teaching profession for the last 17 years, Kaur used to conduct coaching classes from Standard 5 up to Bachelor of Commerce (third year) along with her friend Sanjit Singh Banga. Both had deposited all their savings in PMC Bank.
“My parents are old (my mother is 75 years old and father is 70 years old) and my elder brother is mentally challenged. I am the sole bread earner of the family. I had put in all my effort in my coaching class by conducting tuitions from morning till night. However, due to lockdown, the classes are shut and my savings is also blocked by the Reserve Bank of India in PMC Bank. Today, due to no source of livelihood, my family is facing a lot of hardships,” said Kaur, who has Rs 20 lakh stuck in the bank.
Charanjit Kaur |
Being disabled, Kaur has to rely on her parents entirely. “I thought, with my savings, I could get a maid to assist me, as my parents are too old. I cannot even bathe without my mother’s help. Through my savings, I only wished I could give some relief to my parents. However, today we don't even have money to meet our daily needs."
Kaur exclaimed that the PM, in his public address, had asked everyone to become atmanirbhar (self reliant). "I thought I was self reliant. But my hopes have been shattered. I am in distress and, thereby, appeal to him to fix the PMC Bank crisis the same way they did for YES Bank, " she said.
Meanwhile, RBI, on June 19, extended the restrictions on the beleaguered PMC Bank for another six months to December, 22. However, the RBI has enhanced the withdrawal limit for its depositors to Rs 1 lakh from the existing Rs 50,000. On extending the withdrawal limit, Kaur commented, "It will be of no help, as those who withdrew Rs 1 lakh already will not get the opportunity once again. Moreover, the RBI should understand that the common man is suffering and it is their money that is stuck. Several people lost their lives after the PMC bank scam was exposed. Today, to get our own money, we are compelled to beg."
