After gaining independence from colonial rule on August 14, 1947, the Republic of India was established on January 26, 1950. During the transition period, the Reserve Bank of India continued to issue the existing currency.
In 1949, the government introduced a new design for the one rupee note, replacing the King’s portrait with a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. However, the final decision was made to feature the Lion Capital at Sarnath on the currency instead of Gandhi’s portrait.
In 1950, the first Republic of India banknotes were issued in denominations of 2, 5, 10, and 100 rupees. There were slight variations in the color and design of the 2, 5, and 100 rupee notes, but the ship motif on the reverse of the 10 rupee note remained the same.
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In 1953, Hindi was prominently displayed on the new notes, and the plural of Rupaya was settled as Rupiye. High denomination notes of 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000 rupees were reintroduced in 1954 but later demonetized in 1978.
The early series of small denomination notes featured fauna motifs such as tigers, bucks, doe, Sambar deers, and gazelles. In 1975, the 100 rupee note showcased a collage of motifs representing India’s agricultural endeavors.
In 1967, the sizes of notes were reduced due to economic considerations. In 1969, a commemorative design series was issued in honor of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth centenary celebrations.
In the 1980s, a completely new set of notes was introduced, focusing on symbols of science and technology, progress, and Indian art forms. The notes featured motifs such as Aryabhatta, the Oil Rig, Farm Mechanization, Konark Wheel, Peacock, and Shalimar Garden.
To meet the demands of a growing economy, the 500 rupee note with Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait was introduced in 1987. In 1996, a new ‘Mahatma Gandhi Series’ was launched, incorporating enhanced security features.
In 2000, the 1,000 rupee note was introduced, followed by a redesigned 500 rupee note in 2000 and the introduction of the Rupee symbol (₹) in 2011.
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Security features were further enhanced in 2005 with the introduction of wider color-shifting machine-readable magnetic windowed security threads in higher denomination notes. The ‘Star Series’ was introduced in 2006 to prevent printing of defective notes with the same serial number.
In 2016, the government withdrew the legal tender status of the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes of the Mahatma Gandhi Series, introducing new banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series. These new notes highlighted the country’s cultural heritage and scientific achievements.
New denominations of 2000 rupees and 200 rupees were introduced in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series, featuring distinct colors and reduced sizes.
About India’s Currency
- Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)
- Symbol: ₹
- Code: INR
- Subdivision: 100 paise (although paise coins are no longer in circulation)
- Banknotes denominations: ₹ 10, ₹ 20, ₹ 50, ₹ 100, ₹ 200, ₹ 500, ₹ 2000
- Coins denominations: ₹ 1, ₹ 2, ₹ 5, ₹ 10
- Issuing authority: Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Overall, the currency management in the Republic of India has evolved over the years with various designs, security features, and denominations to meet the needs of its growing economy and combat counterfeiting.
Source: https://rbi.org.in/Scripts/pm_republicindia.aspx
Last Updated on 10 months
