Still have Rs 500 notes? Today is the last day to spend them

The government will withdraw all the exemptions for the use of the old Rs 500 notes effective midnight. This means, effective midnight, you will no longer be allowed to make payments for utility services and to pay your bills at government hospitals, with the old Rs 500 notes. 

Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das tweeted about the withdrawal of exemptions on Wednesday, amid confusing reports of the last date. 

Exemptions for use of old Rs.500 notes will end on 15 Dec midnight.Sections of media reporting wrongly as if it's tonight.

— Shaktikanta Das (@DasShaktikanta) December 14, 2016

However, you can still deposit the old decommissioned Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in the bank till December 30, the deadline imposed by the government.

The use of Rs 500 at petrol pumps at been scrapped on December 2 midnight. 

The government de-legalised the high-denomination Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8, effective midnight. However, to facilitate a transition to smaller denominated notes and the new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes, the government gave out a list of exemptions where the old notes could be used till their prescribed deadlines. This included mobile recharge, milk co-operative stores, state-run ration shops, government hospitals, flight, train or bus ticket bookings, and so on.