India unexpectedly scrapped all larger-denomination banknotes overnight in what New Delhi said was a move to stop counterfeiting and clamp down on the black economy.

印度在一夜之间意外取消了所有较大面值的纸币，新德里方面称此举是为了阻止伪造纸币并打击黑色经济。

Prime minister Narendra Modi said ¬yesterday that 500 and 1,000 rupee notes — worth about $7.50 and $15 respectively — would cease to be legal tender from midnight.

印度总理纳伦德拉.莫迪(Narendra Modi)昨日表示，面值为500和1000卢比的纸币——分别相当于7.5美元和15美元左右——将从午夜开始停止流通。

The announcement stunned Indians, who were given four hours’ notice that much of their cash would become mere paper.

该消息震惊了印度人，他们提前4个小时被通知他们的多数现金将成为废纸。

Shortly after the news, Indian television showed queues of people building outside petrol stations and cash dispensers.

在该消息公布后不久，印度电视台播出了人们在加油站和自动提款机外排队的场景。

Indians will be allowed to deposit or exchange their old currency notes at banks and post offices until the end of the year, but they will not be usable anywhere else, except government hospitals, pharmacies and emergency travel counters for a limited period.

印度人被允许今年年底前在银行和邮局存入或换掉旧纸币，但是这些纸币无法在其他任何地方使用，除了有限时间内可以在政府医院、药房、紧急旅行柜台使用。

New Delhi has promised to introduce a new series of higher value banknotes with additional security features in the denominations of Rs500 and Rs2,000 tomorrow, following a surprise bank holiday today.

新德里承诺，将在明天（今天银行意外休假一天）引入具有新的安全特征、面值为500卢比和2000卢比的一系列较高面值的新钞票。

In the interim, the highest legal tender note is Rs100, equal to around about $1.50.

在此之前，法定货币的最高面值为100卢比，相当于1.5美元左右。

Indians will be restricted to withdrawing Rs2,000 per day from cash machines or banks, increasing to Rs4,000 from November 19,

印度人将被限制每天最多能从自动柜员机或银行取出2000卢比，从11月19日开始限额提高至4000卢比。

a restriction that some economists said could damp business for some time.

一些经济学家认为，该限制可能会在一段时间内抑制商业。

People are going to become very anxious, said Jahangir Aziz, head of emerging market economics for JPMorgan.

人们会变得非常焦虑，摩根大通(JPMorgan)新兴市场经济体主管贾汉吉尔.阿齐兹(Jahangir Aziz)称。

Urjit Patel, governor of the Reserve Bank of India, said the decision had been taken jointly by the government and the central bank and was a powerful step to fight the use of black money and . . . counterfeit notes.

印度央行(Reserve Bank of India)行长尔吉特.帕特尔(Urjit Patel)称，该决定由政府和央行联合做出，是打击使用黑钱以及……假币的有力措施。

Analysts said that Indians holding currency derived from legitimate sources — and on which they had paid income taxes — would have no difficulties, but Indians who were sitting on piles of cash from illegitimate activities, would be caught out.

分析人士表示，持有通过合法来源取得货币、并已缴纳所得税的印度人不会遇到任何困难，但拥有大量通过非法活动取得的现金的印度人，将会原形毕露。

Wiping out the existing high denomination notes will put a scare into those holding them for illicit purposes and spur a move towards more efficient electronic payment systems, said Eswar Prasad, an economics professor at Cornell Universities.

消灭现有高面值钞票，将让为从事非法活动而持有这些钞票的人感到恐慌，并有利于打造更高效的电子支付系统，美国康奈尔大学(Cornell University)经济学教授埃斯瓦尔.普拉萨德(Eswar Prasad)说。

But, he added, This move will at best put a modest and temporary crimp on illicit activities.

但他接着说，这一措施对非法活动的限制效果，充其量是温和、暂时的。