The government on Friday said it has not received any “official report” on deaths during the course of currency exchange and withdrawals following demonetisation. “No such official report has been received,” Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
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He was responding to a query on the total number of people who died during the demonetisation period and compensation that would be provided to the families of the deceased.The question was asked by CPM MP Jitendra Chaudhury and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari.
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The government had cancelled old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in November 2016 and the public was given time till December 2016 to exchange and deposit the defunct notes. Restrictions were also imposed on withdrawals, which were gradually removed.However, there is a separate deadline for NRIs and people who were abroad during this period.
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There were reports that several people had died in different parts of the country while standing in queues for withdrawal and exchange of the scrapped notes. The issue was repeatedly raised in Parliament during the Winter Session.