Chennai, Mar 30 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday flayed the RBI's decision allowing banks to charge for ATM withdrawals beyond the monthly limit and said this will make people withdraw more than they need and alleged "this is not digitisation, it is institutionalised extraction." Stalin said that the union government urged everyone to open bank accounts and then came demonetisation, pitching digital India. In a social media post, he said: "What followed? Charges on digital transactions, penalties for low balances and now the RBI has allowed banks to charge up to Rs 23 for ATM withdrawals beyond the monthly limit. This will make people withdraw more than they need and in particular, negate the objectives of financial inclusion of the poor.

Beneficiaries of MNREGA, which is already starved of funds and the poor who benefit from our KMUT (Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme of Tamil Nadu government, the Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to women beneficiaries) cash transfers will be the ones who will be hit the hardest. This is not digitisation. It is institutionalised extraction. The poor swipe, the rich smile." PTI VGN ADB

ATM withdrawal fees risk undermining financial inclusion by incentivising excess withdrawals and burdening low-income beneficiaries. The RBI has authorised banks to charge fees for ATM withdrawals beyond a monthly limit, allowing banks to impose charges for excess cash withdrawals. This regulatory change is criticised for increasing transactional costs and for its likely disproportionate impact on low-income and cash-dependent welfare beneficiaries, undermining objectives of financial inclusion and imposing greater burdens on economically vulnerable account-holders.