• Yes premature redemption is allowed.

• For senior citizens above 65 years, the premature redemption is allowed after one year. For others, it is allowed after 3 years.

• Penalty at the rate of half of the last payable coupon will be charged from the investors. For example, if last payable coupon is Rs. 1,000/-, then Rs. 500 would be charged as penalty..

Answer: Balance in SRVA is like foreign exchange inflow converted into INR, hence balance can be used for any permissible current and capital account transaction under the present FEMA framework.

Ans. RBI has made it mandatory for lenders to display the minimum, maximum and average interest rates charged on microfinance loans in all their offices, in the literature (information booklets/ pamphlets) issued by them and details on their website.

Ans. No

Please refer to the FAQ (updated as on September 13, 2013) on “Features of various Deposit Schemes available for Non-Resident Indians” available on the RBI website (link: http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/FAQView.aspx?Id=69). Banks are permitted to extend loans to the FCNR (B) account holders and mark lien on such deposits.

Ans : The Reserve Bank of India has deregulated the charges to be levied by sponsor banks from user institutions. The sponsor banks are, however, required to disclose the charges in a transparent manner. With effect from 1st July 2011, originating banks are required to pay a nominal charge of 25 paise per transaction to the Clearing house and destination bank respectively. Destination bank branches have been directed to afford ECS Credit free of charge to the beneficiary account holders.

ECS (DEBIT)

Ans. As compounding is based on voluntary admissions and disclosures, there is no provision under the of Foreign Exchange (Compounding Proceedings) Rules, 2000, for an appeal against the order of the Compounding Authority or for a request for reduction of amount imposed or extension of period for payment of the amount imposed.

If you have a complaint against only scheduled bank on any of the above grounds, you can lodge a complaint with the bank concerned in writing in a specific complaint register provided at the branches as per the recommendation of the Goiporia Committee or on a sheet of paper. Ask for a receipt of your complaint. The details of the official receiving your complaint may be specifically sought. If the bank fails to respond within 30 days, you can lodge a complaint with the Banking Ombudsman. (Please note that complaints pending in any other judicial forum will not be entertained by the Banking Ombudsman). No fee is levied by the office of the Banking Ombudsman for resolving the customer’s complaint. A unique complaint identification number will be given to you for tracking purpose. (A list of the Banking Ombudsmen along with their contact details is provided on the RBI website).

Complaints are to be addressed to the Banking Ombudsman within whose jurisdiction the branch or office of the bank complained against is located. Complaints can be lodged simply by writing on a plain paper or online at www.bankingombudsman.rbi.org.in or by sending an email to the Banking Ombudsman. Complaint forms are available at all bank branches also.

Complaint can also be lodged by your authorised representative (other than a lawyer) or by a consumer association / forum acting on your behalf.

If you are not happy with the decision of the Banking Ombudsman, you can appeal to the Appellate Authority in the Reserve Bank of India.

The customers will be issued Certificate of Holding on the date of issuance of the SGB. Certificate of Holding can be collected from the issuing banks/SHCIL offices/Post Offices/Designated stock exchanges/agents or obtained directly from RBI on email, if email address is provided in the application form.

Response: Yes.

• Like other G-Secs, the day count for IIBs would 30/360.

The Committee may explore various options to resolve the stress in the account. The Committee shall not endeavour to encourage a particular resolution option and may decide the CAP as per the specific requirements and position of each case. The options under CAP by the Committee may include:

(i) Rectification;

(ii) Restructuring;

(iii) Recovery

For more details you may refer to circular no. FIDD.MSME & NFS.BC.No.21/06.02.31/2015-16 dated March 17, 2016.

Ans: The NEFT Help Desk / Contact point of the RBI can be approached at nefthelpdeskncc@rbi.org.in.

The Corporation has deposit insurance liability on liquidation etc. of "Insured banks" i.e. banks which have been de-registered (a) on account of prohibition on receiving fresh deposits or (b) on cancellation of license or it is found that license cannot be granted. The liability of the Corporation in these cases is limited to the extent of deposits as on the date of cancellation of registration of bank as an insured bank.

On liquidation etc. of other de-registered banks i.e. banks which have been de-registered on other grounds such as non payment of premium or their ceasing to be eligible co-operative banks under section 2(gg) of the DICGC Act, 1961, the Corporation will have no liability.

Notice: Information given above is to convey the basic provisions of the deposit insurance scheme of the Corporation. The information is of a non-technical nature and is not intended to be a legal interpretation of the deposit insurance scheme.

• In case of redemption prematurely before the maturity date, investors can approach the concerned bank few days before the coupon date and apply.

• In case of redemption on maturity, the investor will be advised one month before maturity regarding the ensuing maturity of the bond advising them to provide a Letter of Acquaintance, confirming the NEFT account details, etc.

• If everything is in order, the investor has to be paid immediately on the maturity date for payments through electronic mode and within maximum five days for any payment through physical instruments.

Ans. Yes, under intimation to Reserve Bank, FED, CO Cell, Sansad Marg, New Delhi 110 001.

Response

Banks should offer the ATM Debit Cards free of charge and no Annual fee should be levied on such Cards.

Yes, the Scheme provides the appellate mechanism for the complainant as well as the NBFC.

Any person aggrieved by an Award issued under Clause 12 or by the decision of the NBFC Ombudsman rejecting the complaint for the reasons specified in sub-clause (c) to (f) of Clause 13 of the Scheme, can approach the Appellate Authority.

The Appellate Authority is vested with a Deputy Governor-in-Charge of the department of the RBI implementing the Scheme. The address of the Appellate Authority is :

The Appellate Authority
Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies
Consumer Education and Protection Department
Reserve Bank of India
First Floor, Amar Building
Fort, Mumbai 400 001.

The complainant also has the option to explore other recourse and/or remedies available as per the law.

Franchisers are expected to impart training to the franchisees as regards operations and maintenance of records.

In case the aggregate amount bid is more than the reserved amount through non-competitive bidding, allotment would be made on a pro rata basis.

It may be noted that the actual allotment may vary slightly at times from the partial allotment ratio due to rounding off with a view to ensuring that the allotted amounts are in multiples of 10,000/-.

Answer: Investment in Government Treasury Bills, Government securities is permitted in terms of extant guidelines and prescribed limits. Other than these, avenues of investments can be mutually agreed between the countries subject to compliance with applicable regulatory and statutory guidelines.

Ans : ECS Debit transaction can be initiated by any institution (called ECS Debit User) which has to receive / collect amounts towards telephone / electricity / water dues, cess / tax collections, loan installment repayments, periodic investments in mutual funds, insurance premium etc. It is a Scheme under which an account holder with a bank branch can authorise an ECS User to recover an amount at a prescribed frequency by raising a debit to his / her bank account.

The User institution has to first register with an ECS Centre. The User institution has to also obtain the authorization (mandate) from its customers for debiting their account along with their bank account particulars prior to participation in the ECS Debit scheme. The mandate has to be duly verified by the beneficiary’s bank. A copy of the mandate should be available on record with the destination bank where the customer has a bank account.