New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) A fire broke out at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) building in New Delhi on Tuesday afternoon — prompting a swift response from firefighting teams.

No injuries or casualties were reported in the incident, officials said.

According to officials, the blaze originated from a box containing solar panels within the premises.

Firefighters were alerted to the situation at around 1:05 pm, following which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

The fire was brought under control within 15 minutes, preventing any major damage or escalation.

Authorities confirmed that the situation was handled quickly and safely, with no harm to personnel present at the building.

The incident comes close on the heels of another fire reported in the city. A blaze had broken out earlier in the Chawri Bazar area of Delhi, for which a call was received by the Connaught Place Fire Station at around 7:21 pm on Sunday.

Firefighting teams were immediately dispatched to manage the situation.

Meanwhile, last week, the central bank said that 98.47 per cent of the Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes in circulation have been returned, nearly three years after it announced their withdrawal.

The central bank had declared the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes from circulation on May 19, 2023, as part of its currency management exercise.

At that time, the total value of such notes in circulation stood at Rs 3.56 lakh crore.

According to the latest data release by RBI on May 1, this figure has now sharply declined to Rs 5,451 crore as of April 30, 2026.

“The total value of Rs 2000 banknotes in circulation, which was Rs 3.56 lakh crore at the close of business on May 19, 2023, when the withdrawal of Rs 2000 banknotes was announced, has declined to Rs 5,451 crore at the close of business on April 30, 2026,” the central bank said.

–IANS

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