The Reserve Bank of India used sophisticated Currency Verification and Processing (CVPS) machines for checking the accuracy or the demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes.

Quoting a Right To Information (RTI) reply, PTI had earlier reported that RBI was not using machines for counting Specified Bank Notes (SBNs).

However, the central bank in a late Sunday evening press release clarified that the "RBI actually uses sophisticated Currency Verification & Processing (CVPS) machines for checking the numerical accuracy and genuineness of the currency notes, including SBNs (including SBNs scrapped on November 8). These machines are way superior to the note counting machines."

According to the PTI report, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had said in an RTI reply that counting machines are "not being used" for tallying the total number of demonetised notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 in any of its offices.

The central bank, which is responsible for printing of currency notes, later said, "With a view to augmenting processing capacity, RBI is using the available machines in two shifts and has been using some machines temporarily drawn from commercial banks after suitable modifications and it is also exploring other options to augment processing capacity even further."

In the RTI reply, RBI refused to give the total number of personnel deployed for counting of the scrapped notes, saying compiling the information would "disproportionately divert" its resources.

"Counting machines are not being used for the purpose in any offices of Reserve Bank of India," the RBI said in the RTI reply dated August 10.

The central bank also said no counting machines were taken on lease to reconcile the total figure of the junked notes.

It was asked to give details about machines being used for counting the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

RBI also denied sharing information on the total number of personnel deployed for counting of the old notes.

"Compiling the information would disproportionately divert the resources, the information sought cannot be furnished as per Section 7 (9) of RTI Act, 2005," the RBI said in its reply to the RTI query filed by a PTI correspondent.

In its annual report for 2016-17 released on August 30, the RBI had said Rs 15.28 lakh crore, or 99 percent of the demonetised 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, had returned to the banking system.

It further said that only Rs 16,050 crore out of the Rs 15.44 lakh crore in the old high denomination notes have not returned.

As on November 8, 2016, when the note ban was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there were 1,716 crore pieces of Rs 500 and 686 crore pieces of Rs 1,000 notes in circulation, totalling Rs 15.44 lakh crore, it had added.

RBI is exploring other options to further augment the processing capacity.