Thakur, Oppn demand rollback of withdrawal charges by banks
NEW DELHI: Anurag Thakur, BJP member in the Lok Sabha, on Monday demanded a roll back of withdrawal charges proposed by certain banks and the three per cent tax levied by financial institutions on credit card payments, a demand which was raised by the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
Participating in a debate on supplementary demands for grants (general) and the appropriations bills, Thakur said the decision to charge the customers for withdrawal of money does not augur well.
“Also, why should a three per cent tax be levied on credit card payments. This is not a good idea,” he said. He also listed out the achievements of the Modi government and said that over one crore people have so far downloaded the BHIM app, the Aadhaar based e-payment application. The demand to scrap the decision to penalise non- maintenance of minimum balance of Rs 5,000 by the State Bank of India (SBI) was also made by the CPI(M) in the Upper House on Monday, which was supported by the entire opposition. India’s leading private banks like HDFC, ICIC and Axis charge a minimum of Rs 150 for cash deposits and withdrawals at bank branches after four free transactions each month.
SBI, the country’s largest public sector bank, has also announced charging Rs 10 rupees (excluding service tax) beyond five ATM withdrawals for its customers.
CPI(M) member K K Ragesh said in Rajya Sabha that the SBI has raised the monthly average balance to be maintained in saving bank accounts to Rs 5,000 from Rs 500 and will levy penalty for not adhering to it. The move will hit 31 crore depositors, he said, adding that the SBI being the largest bank in the country is likely to be followed by other banks also.
“It (the decision) is not going to affect the rich, but will hit the poor people,” he said, adding the state-owned banks were facing a crisis due to rising bad loans or NPAS. NEW DELHI: BJP ally Shiv Sena on Monday joined the chorus by some opposition parties questioning the reliability of Electronic Voting Machines, with its member in Lok Sabha asking the Centre to ensure that all voters get paper slips as a proof of their voting preference.
Raising the issue during Zero hour, Sena’s Shrirang Appa Barne said several parties have questioned EVMS’ functioning and claimed that many of them had raised questions during the recent local body polls in Maharashtra.
The BJP had left its rivals, including the Sena, far behind in the results. “The government should ensure that voting print slip is made a must,” he said, with other Sena members supporting him. Among other issues raised in the House, Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD) spoke about an AIIMS report that said long-term exposure to mobiles can increase the risk of brain tumours.