Ban on rupees 500 and 1000 notes has effected families planning for weddings.
Shashikant Zalte, a resident of central Mumbai, is getting married on Sunday. But with four days to go for the wedding, it's the hunt for cash - in short supply since the government's two-week-old ban on old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes - that is keeping him busy.
Shashikant and his cousin have managed to get Rs 1.3 lakhs after the government allowed Rs 2.5 lakhs in cash for a wedding last Thursday, but they have now given up on the rest of the money given the difficult rules that need to be met.
According to conditions set by the Reserve Bank of India, the bride, groom and their parents have to prove that their caterers, decorators and other service providers do not have bank accounts.
"We had inquired but the banks here have no clear information. Rules are being changed every day. First, we were told that if you want to make a cash transaction, you will have to prove that the person you are making the payment to doesn't have an account. So, we will have to get him to the bank, how will you get each one of them to the bank?" said Rahul Ahire, Shashikant's cousin who has been accompanying him to banks for over three days now.
Many have questioned the RBI's strict conditions for the withdrawal of Rs 2.5 lakh for wedding expenses. Among them are:
1. Submitting documents such as the wedding card, payment receipts to avail the scheme.
2. Detailed list of people to whom the cash will be paid and a declaration from them proving that they don't have a bank account.
3. Withdrawals can be made by either of the parents or the person getting married.
4. A maximum of Rs 2.5 lakh is allowed from the bank accounts till December 30.
5. The amount can be withdrawn only if the date of marriage is on or before December 30.
But with the government now looking to review these conditions, brides, grooms and their families are now hopeful.
Not everyone however, can benefit from the rollback. For 26-year-old Asmita Deshmukh, for instance, it's too late. Asmita is getting married on Wednesday, a date decided just a few days before the PM's surprise cash ban speech.
Since then, the bride and her father have spent most of their time shuttling from banks to ATMs in search of cash.
"Initially, I had to queue up outside the bank for at least 5 hours to deposit the Rs 50,000 that I had withdrawn. After that my dad and I had to constantly keep queuing up outside ATMs to withdraw money for wedding expenses," said Asmita.