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Bombay High Court seized with PIL on frequent change in sizes of currency notes

t refers to Bombay High Court asking Reserve Bank of India RBI to file a reply on a Public-Interest-Litigation PIL filed by The National Association for the Blind, seeking RBI assurance that sizes of currency-notes will not be changed in future, because it creates problem for visually challenged people who take time to get familiar with new sized currency.

But it was after more than half-century that currency-size was last changed in the year 1967. Problem was caused because new-sized currency in different denominations was introduced in phases ranging to more than two years after it started just after demonetisation of old currency notes of rupees 500 and 1000 on 08.11.2016. RBI should rather assure that in future currency-size if required to be changed will be done in one go for notes of all denominations.

Main problem was in respect of coins when new two-rupee coins were introduced some years ago exactly in same size, shape and weight of then prevailing old one-rupee coins, where coin-blanks of prepared for (old) one-rupee coins were used to mint new-sized two-rupee coins. It created big confusion and problem even to normal people what to say about visually challenged people. RBI should also ensure that similar sized coins in different denominations may not be simultaneously in circulation.

Bombay High Court should also simultaneously take cognizance of totally unpopular and at times unacceptable coins of rupees ten and now-to-be introduced twenty-rupee coins. System should be to have either coins or currency-notes for a particular denomination.

RBI should stop minting of coins of rupees ten and twenty, and instead introduce plastic-currency with longer life in these two denominations as assured long back by the then Union Minister of Finance Namo Narain Meena on 12.03.2013 in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. One-rupee notes re-started just for bureaucratic craze of bearing their signatures should be discontinued to be printed as these are not even seen by members of public ever since these were re-issued on 06.03.2015 after a gap of two decades.

 

SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL

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