The Press Information Bureau (PIB) issued a fact-checking report after several social media posts claimed that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would end circulation ₹500 notes until March 2026.
A government media agency termed the speculation as “false” and clarified that the central bank has not made any such announcement regarding the discontinuation of ₹500 notes> ₹500 banknotes.
“Some posts on social media claim that the Reserve Bank of India will end circulation ₹500 notes by March 2026. PIBFactCheck: This claim is false! No such notification has been made by RBI,” PIB said in a post by X (earlier on Twitter).
PIB warns citizens against unverified claims
The agency further stated that ₹500 notes continue to be valid legal tender, meaning they can be used freely for all transactions, and urge the public not to be swayed by unverified claims or misleading information circulating on social media and other platforms.
” ₹500 notes have NOT been discontinued and remain legal tender. Always verify news from official sources before believing or sharing them!” the government media agency said in a post.
Previous clarification about ₹500 requests for demonetization
This is not the first time that the Indian government has stepped in to clarify rumors and misleading claims about demonetisation ₹500 notes, pointing out that such speculations have repeatedly surfaced and been exposed in the past.
In June, PIB’s fact-checking unit on Platform X clarified that the claims about the upcoming alleged “demonetization” in March 2026 were false and that it was an attempt to spread misinformation among the masses through social media platforms.
During that time, a video in which a news anchor from a YouTube channel claimed that India was ready to end proliferation was widely circulated on social media ₹500 notes valid from March 2026. This speculation was later refuted by the government.
In support of the government’s clarification, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed Parliament in August that there were no plans to disrupt supplies ₹500 denomination notes. He further stated that ATMs will continue to pay out ₹500 notes along with other denominations such as ₹100 or ₹200, dismissing rumors of any proposed withdrawal.
