Nepal hopes India will take back demonetised notes worth 7 Cr

Nepal's Central Bank is saddled with Rs 7 crore of demonetised Indian currency but India is not making "adjustments" to take back the notes, Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali said on Friday, hoping the scrapped notes would be accepted by its neighbour.

The Indian government on November 8, 2016 announced the ban on old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes to curb black money in the system.

"Around INR 7 crore (demonetised currency) is deposited in our Central Bank. It went through the banking channel, I don't know why India is not making adjustment (in the matter)," Gyawali said.

Demonetisation caught Bhutan and Nepal off guard where Indian currency is widely used.

"We are not talking about the money which was transacted through the informal channels but it was through the banking channel. So I am requesting the Indian side to think about this pending issue," Gyawali said.

Of the Rs 15.41 lakh crore worth Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in circulation on November 8, 99.3 per cent or notes worth Rs 15.31 lakh crore have returned to the banking system.

"It is upto India to take a decision. We have been requesting the Indian government for the past couple of years. We hope India will respond positively," Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada told PTI.

The land-locked country depends on India for trade and supplies. Indian currency is widely used in Nepal for day-to-day transactions, especially in the border areas.