In recent days, we can acknowledge at least a couple of ATM robberies every day. With these continuous incidents, worried over incidents of attack, especially, the loot on cash carrying vans, the government has proposed that ATMs should not be restored with cash after 9 pm in cities and private cash transportation agencies must collect cash from the banks in the first half of the day.
It is already known that the time limit for putting money in the ATMs in rural areas would be 6 pm and 4 pm in Naxal-affected areas. This move will substantially help in regulating private security agencies, which basically handle’s cash in India without specific government guidelines, said a home ministry official. Approximately 8,000 private cash vans travel across the nation.
Talking about the same, a senior official has said, “At present, these private security agencies carry across more than Rs 15,000 crore cash on daily basis. They also hold over – Rs 5,000 crore cash overnight on behalf of the banks at their private depository.”
Meanwhile, as of now, specially designed cash vans, fitted with GPS and CCTVs, won’t be carrying more than Rs 5 crore in a single trip. Two armed safeguards and a driver in cash van must be trained “disconnected with the situation and drive vehicle to safety” in case of a loot or attack. Taking possible pretentious measures, these few are the part of the new SOPs which are proposed by the home ministry for private security agencies that carry out the task of restoring ATMs.
In a bid to take this forward, the SOPs has been forwarded to the Law Ministry for a complete cross-check purpose and once they are approved, the guidelines will be issued to all state authorities for implementation. MHA also announced the second round of police modernization plans for the Central Armed Police Force (CAPRF).
Isn’t this quite a safe step? Share your opinions in the comments section below.
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