Five must-read stories—January 5

97% banned notes said to be deposited in banks in blow to Modi’s black money fight

Banks have received ₹14.97 trillion as of December 30, the deadline for handing in the old bank notes, according to sources quoted in a Bloomberg report in the Mint. This deals a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drive to unearth unaccounted wealth and fight corruption.

MP farmers get 'genuine' ₹2,000 notes sans image of Mahatma Gandhi

Farmers from a remote village in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district thought the newly printed ₹2,000 notes that they received—without the image of Mahatma Gandhi—from a State Bank of India branch were fake. But bank officials took back the notes and said they were "genuine", reports The Times of India.

Seeking VRS, chargesheeted Rajendra Kumar says he was told to frame Arvind Kejriwal

Seeking voluntary retirement from service less than a month after he was chargesheeted by the CBI in a case of alleged corruption, IAS officer Rajendra Kumar, who was Principal Secretary to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the time of his arrest in July last year, has alleged he was repeatedly told by his interrogators that they would set him free if he implicated the Chief Minister. In The Indian Express.

Dhoni steps down as ODI, T20 captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has stepped down as India cricket captain from both the 50-over and 20-over formats, paving the way for Virat Kohli’s selection as India captain across all formats. Dhoni will be available for selection as player for the ODI and T20 series against England, reports The Hindu.

ISRO to launch 103 satellites in one go

India’s space agency ISRO will launch a record 103 satellites in one go on a single rocket in the first week of February in what will be a major feat not attempted by any country, says a PTI report in The Tribune.