New Delhi, Jan 17 (Abhinav Gupta / Pratyush Ranjan PTI Fact Check): A Facebook user shared a post claiming a new guideline by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has declared that all scribbled banknotes will become invalid. The PTI Fact Check Desk found in its investigation that the RBI never issued such guidelines, as mentioned in the Facebook post. The claim in the social media post was false. 

Claim

The Desk received on its Fact Check WhatsApp no. +918130503759 a Facebook post with a screenshot claiming that writing anything on banknotes will make them invalid under the new guidelines of the RBI. 

“As per new guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India, writing anything on new notes makes the note, and it will no more be legal tender. Just like US dollars. If you write anything in US dollars, it is not accepted by anyone. Just forward to the maximum people so that the Indian public understands the importance of this message:” the post read.

Here is the link and the archive link to the post. 

Below is the screenshot of the page-

Investigation  

The Desk started its investigation with a Google Reverse Image search on the screenshot and found several Facebook posts dating back to 2016. 

A few Facebook posts with the same screenshot can be viewed here and here. 

The archive posts can be viewed hereand here. 

In the next step of its investigation, the Desk conducted a Google search for the keyword ‘Scribbled banknotes invalid RBI’ but could not find any such reports on news portals. Had the RBI made any such announcement, it would have been reported by a news website. 

The Desk subsequently scanned RBI’s website but couldn’t find such guidelines or press releases. 

However, we found a press release on its website published on Dec 5, 2002, with the headline, ‘Clean Note Policy: RBI.’

According to the press release, the RBI, under its ‘Clean Note Policy,’ aims to give the citizens good quality currency notes and coins while the soiled notes are withdrawn from circulation. 

“The public members were urged not to write on the currency notes, and banks were instructed to provide unrestricted facility for exchange of soiled and mutilated notes,” the press release said. 

Here is the link to the RBI press release, and below is the screenshot of the same: 

Under its ‘Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)’ section on the website, the Desk found RBI’s answer to a few banknote-related questions. 

Below are the questions and answers as highlighted on the RBI website-

Q. What is the Clean Note Policy?

Answer: Reserve Bank of India has been continuously making efforts to make good quality banknotes available to the members of the public. To help RBI and the banking system towards this objective, the members of the public are requested to ensure the following:

* Not to staple the banknotes

* Not to write/put rubber stamp or any other mark on the banknotes

* Not to use banknotes for making garlands/toys, decorating pandals and places of worship, or showering on personalities in social events, etc. 

Q. Are coloured/stained notes or scribbled notes legal tender?

Answer: All Bank notes, including Mahatma Gandhi (New) series notes with writing or colour stains on them, continue to be legal tender, provided they are decipherable. Such notes can be deposited or exchanged in any bank branch.

However, a claim in respect of bank notes which carries any extrinsic words or visible representations intended to convey or capable of conveying any message of a political or religious character or furthering the interest of any person or entity will be rejected as per Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Rules, 2009 [As amended by Reserve Bank of India (Note Refund) Amendment Rules, 2018].

Here is the screenshot of the FAQs page on the RBI website: 

We also found a PTI report carried by the Economic Times on Aug 14, 2013, according to which the RBI had back then asked banks to issue suitable instructions to all officers and staff not to scribble or write on banknotes.

Here is the link to the report and below is the screenshot of the same:

Subsequently, the Desk concluded that the RBI never made any announcement on making scribbled banknotes invalid. The claim in the social media post was false. 

Claim

Banknotes with anything written on them will be considered invalid under the new guidelines of the RBI. 

Fact  

The RBI never made any such announcement related to scribbled notes. It, however, urged people not to write anything on the banknotes. The claim made in the screenshot shared on Facebook was false. 

Conclusion

A social media user shared a post claiming RBI issued a guideline that the scribbled banknotes will become invalid. The Desk found in its investigation that the RBI never issued such guidelines. The claim in the social media post was false. 

You can contact PTI Fact Check on WhatsApp Number +91-8130503759 and share any claim or social media post you think is essential to fact-check and want us to verify.