Exemptions set by the central government for the use of demonetised Rs 500 currency notes will end at midnight on Wednesday, the Finance Ministry has said. After today, members of the public will only be able to deposit these notes in their bank accounts till December 30, The Financial Express reported.

The exemptions that will be discontinued include the purchase of milk at authorised central and state government booths, payments at crematoriums and burial grounds, payments to pharmacies and for the purchase of gas cylinders.

The use of the notes was earlier allowed for purchasing fuel from petrol pumps and airline tickets from airports till December 15, but the Centre had disallowed their use after December 2. On December 8, the government had announced that Rs 500 notes would not be accepted by the Railways, buses or metros after December 10.

The country has been grappling with a cash crunch, with the Reserve Bank of India and Centre’s repeated revision of rules to exchange the scrapped notes. On November 27, RBI Governor Urjit Patel said the bank was “taking all necessary actions to ease the genuine pain of the citizens who are honest and have been hurt” by the move.