New Delhi, Aug 20: No ATM will be replenished with cash after 9 pm in cities and 6 pm in rural areas from next year. Also, two armed guards will accompany crisp notes in transit, as per a new directive issued by the Home Ministry.
The deadline for putting money in ATMs located in Maoist-hit areas is 4 pm while private cash-handling agencies must collect money from banks in the first half of the day and transport notes in armoured vehicles.
In a notification, the Home Ministry said the new Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) would come into effect from February 8, 2019, in view of spurt in incidents of attacks on cash vans, cash vaults, ATM frauds and other internal frauds, leading to an increased sense of insecurity.
There are over 8,000 privately-owned cash vans plying across the country, operated by non-bank private agencies. They handle over Rs 15,000 crore daily on behalf of banks.
Some times, the private agencies keep currency overnight at their cash vaults.
“No cash-loading of ATMs or cash transportation activities shall be done after 9 pm in urban areas, after 6 pm in rural areas and before 9 am or after 4 pm in the districts notified by the central government as left wing extremism affected areas,” the notification said.
The agencies shall provide private security for cash transportation with the requisite number of trained staff; every cash van shall have one driver, two armed security guards and two ATM officers or custodians.
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