After banning TVs from Gulf, India seeks to prohibit banknote garlands

As a new governor settles in at the helm of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country’s central bank, the agency is urging citizens to refrain from using currency notes to make garlands, a common practice at weddings and political rallies.

“The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appealed to members of public not to use banknotes for making garlands, decorating pandals and places of worship or for showering on personalities in social events, etc,” an RBI release said yesterday.

The apex bank added that “banknotes should be respected as they are a symbol of the sovereign, and public should not misuse them, and help in increasing the life of banknotes.”

This follows the Indian government’s recent banning of duty-free imports of flat-panel TVs from the Gulf and elsewhere by air travellers, supposedly to support the declining rupee.

The plunging Indian rupee and a government that has been unable to stem the slide of the currency has been a butt of jokes recently as it fell to a lifetime low of Rs68.89 against the US dollar (Rs18.75 vs. Dh1).

Here we reproduce just some of them. These nuggets have all been gleaned from social media.

·         “The only time Indian Rupee goes up these days is... during a toss!”

·         Breaking: CBSE has announced that the concept of free fall in physics will be taught using the Indian rupee as example.

·         Dollar on an escalator, Rupee on ventilator, nation in ICU, we are in coma….Onion in showroom, God bless India…

·         I heard the rupee is falling, please tell me where I can collect it

·         Race 3: Who will reach hundred first, dollar, petrol or onion?

·         Greetings: May your happiness increase like petrol prices, and may your sorrow fall like the Indian rupee.

·         We have the world’s cheapest car and the world’s costliest petrol.

·         When INR goes down, NRIs are happy

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