Weekly withdrawal limits from banks and ATMs likely to go away by end of February: RBI

 With the economy getting some respite from the liquidity crisis amid demonetisation, Reserve Bank may do away with the weekly withdrawal limits from banks as well as ATMs by the end of next month.

        The RBI had recently raised the ATM withdrawal limit to

Rs 10,000 a day but maintained the weekly cap at Rs 24,000 for

saving account and Rs 1 lakh for current account holders.

        "I think the restrictions on withdrawal by RBI should be

completely lifted by February-end or by first half of March as

cash situation is easing gradually," Bank of Maharashtra

executive director R K Gupta told PTI.

        It is entirely RBI's decision and the central bank would

decide after making holistic assessment of the situation, he

said.

        According to SBI's research report Ecowrap, "By the end

of February, 78-88 per cent of the currency could be back in

the system under the best case scenario in terms of an optimal

currency distribution (more small denomination notes)," the

report said, adding that "it seems within next 2 months things

would be pretty close to normal."

        Another senior public sector bank official said the

situation is easing and it is a matter of weeks when the

curb on withdrawal gets eased.

        "My hunch is that it should happen before end of the

current fiscal," the official said, adding, RBI has been

progressively easing the curb.

        The RBI had earlier increased the daily withdrawal limit

from ATMs to Rs 4,500 from Rs 2,500 effective January 1, just

a day after 50-day demonetisation period ended.

        Meanwhile, RBI Governor Urjit Patel could not set a time

frame before the Standing Committee on Finance for return of

normalcy in the banking system even as the central bank

asserted that Rs 9.2 lakh crore or 60 per cent of demonetised

currency has been replaced.

        In a surprise move on November 8, Prime Minister Narendra

Modi had announced demonetisation of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000

notes.

        Following the decision, the RBI had put restrictions on

withdrawal of cash from ATMs as well as from banks to deal

with shortage of new high denomination currency notes. This

led to long queues at ATMs and bank branches.

        All over the country, the banks had to deal with huge

rush of people who thronged their branches to deposit junked

notes. The deadline for depositing old notes with banks

ended on December 30.