Currency with public doubles since note ban

At the same time, the total currency put in circulation by the Reserve Bank has also more than doubled to over Rs 19.3 lakh crore – from a low of about Rs 8.9 lakh crore post- demonetisation. 

Currency with the public is arrived at after deducting cash with banks from total currency in circulation. This high level of currency available with the public is in sharp contrast to the reported cash crunch in various parts of the country a few months ago. 

There has been a fear that hoarding or accumulation of large amounts of cash for various reasons could have triggered an artificial currency crunch. The figures for both ‘currency with the public’ and ‘currency in circulation’ have also exceeded the levels seen before the note ban.