‘Rs 2,000 was transitory note to fill in value lost due to demonetisation’

The new notes being used today were launched after November 2016, in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing the demonetisation drive by banning Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Post the announcement, the RBI issued new notes of the denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000, and new notes for Rs 10, 20, 50, 100 and Rs 200.

The entire new series showcases UNESCO World Heritage Sites present in India. While the Rs 500 note has Delhi’s Red Fort; the Rs 100 note has Rani ki Vav from Gujarat; Rs 50 note has Hampi from Karnataka; Rs 20 note has Maharashtra’s Ellora caves, while the Rs 10 note has Konark Temple from Odisha.

Kaza said that in 2013-14, the government and RBI decided to have UNESCO World Heritage Sites as the theme of next-generation currency notes in the country. “We have 39-40 (UNESCO world heritage) sites in India to choose from, but we had to be careful about not repeating the same period (historically) while also representing all the regions of the country,” he said while speaking at a panel discussion here as part of an exhibition on banknotes of G20 countries that showcase World Heritage Sites.

India is a good mixture of global religious faiths, so we had to ensure it is well represented, Kaza said, talking about the unique series. Historically speaking, the lion from the Ashoka Pillar has been displayed on the notes since 1947. At one time, the notes displayed a tiger, an elephant and a peacock. A committee comprising Union secretaries and other senior functionaries decided on these various sets of notes, Kaza explained.

On the Rs 2,000 note, he says that even if it was a transitory note, the bottom panel has Ajanta paintings (another UNESCO site in India); some heritage aspect was slipped in on the note, which also had Mangalyaan.

The official also explained how the series is a truly Made in India. “Till 2016, our notes were designed abroad. We also imported paper, ink and most security features from abroad. The present notes are 100 per cent designed by the RBI in its design studio in Bangalore, with the panel of designers including those from prestigious Indian art colleges such as the JJ School of Art. This is the first truly Indian note,” he adds.

This is the only series of banknotes in the world that is fully themed on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while most other countries have one or two notes showcasing heritage sites, he remarked at the exhibition, which showcases more than 30 currency notes picturing the UNESCO heritage sites from G20 member nations, comprising 19 countries and the European Union. ‘Banking on World Heritage’, on display for a week at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, is curated by independent researcher Rukmini Dahanukar.

For instance, the $100 bill from the US depicts the 18th century Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where America debated and adopted its Constitution, while the 10,000 Rupiah note from Indonesia has the 9th century Borobudur temple, and Turkey’s 20-lira note shows the ancient city of Ephesus.

At the inauguration, Minister of State Culture Meenakshi Lekhi said that G20 countries host about 70 per cent of declared UNESCO heritage sites of the world, adding that the showcase underlines the effort of these countries to preserve and conserve cultural heritage.

“The purpose of the exhibition is to encourage people to appreciate paper currency in the age of digital transactions and the cultural sites they depict, besides carrying monetary value,” said Dahanukar, adding that the notes have 17 Indian languages, which reflects inclusivity and unity in diversity.