There is neither Gandhi nor RBI Governor’s signature on this note, yet no one can stop it from circulating.

New Delhi. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had recently given a statement that if the Central Government has the courage then it should remove the picture of Mahatma Gandhi from the currency notes. This statement of his was much discussed. But perhaps he had said this without any research. There is still a note in India which does not have Gandhi’s picture. Leave aside Gandhi’s photo, there is not even the Governor’s signature on it. Still no one can stop it from running in the market. This note is of value of Re 1.

This is the only note in the country which does not have Gandhi’s photo and the signature of the RBI Governor. Apart from this, Gandhiji is on all the other notes. 1 rupee note is one of the oldest currencies of India. Although you do not get to see Gandhi on even Rs 2 note, you will see Mahatma’s photo on some special series currencies.

Why is 1 rupee note different from other notes?

The 1 rupee note is different because it is not issued by the Reserve Bank of India but by the Government of India i.e. the Finance Ministry. This is the reason why this note is not signed by the RBI Governor but by the Finance Secretary. This is the reason why even Mahatma Gandhi’s picture was never printed on it. The identity of this note has always been different and designs like Ashoka Pillar, picture of a coin or oil rig have been seen in it.

When the Mahatma Gandhi Series was launched in 1996, Gandhiji’s photograph was made mandatory on all notes of Rs 5 and above. But 1 rupee note never came under this scope because its issuing authority is different.

What is the story of 2 rupee note

Like 1 rupee, the 2 rupee note was also not a part of the Mahatma Gandhi series. On the front side of this note, a picture of the Ashoka Pillar and a tiger was printed on the back side, which represented Project Tiger. This note also remained in circulation for a long time but later it was gradually replaced by coins.

Although Gandhiji’s picture was seen on the 2 rupee notes in some special and limited series, this was not the case in the general circulation notes. Nowadays, even Rs 2 notes are rarely seen in the market.

Are 1 and 2 rupee notes banned now?

Printing of 1 rupee note was stopped after 2015. After this, the government promoted coins for both the value of Rs 1 and Rs 2. However, old Rs 1 and Rs 2 notes are still completely legal tender. That means, if you have these notes, you can use them for payment anywhere and no one can refuse to take them.

Actually, the reason for the low circulation of these notes is that new ones are not being printed and old notes are gradually going out of the system.

Which notes come in Mahatma Gandhi series?

Mahatma Gandhi Series and later Mahatma Gandhi New Series were implemented in India from 1996 onwards. Under this, Mahatma Gandhi’s picture is printed on the notes of Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 200, Rs 500 and earlier Rs 2000 in circulation.

Even though the Rs 2000 note has now been taken out of circulation, it is still a legal tender and Gandhiji’s picture is present on it too.

difference between statement and reality

DK Shivakumar’s statement may have come into discussion from political point of view, but the reality related to currency is quite different from this. There have already been notes in India which did not have Mahatma Gandhi’s picture on them and yet they were completely legal tender. The only difference is that those notes are not issued by RBI but by the Government of India.

This is the reason why 1 rupee note is still considered a special and interesting part of the Indian currency system. This note shows that the country’s currency is governed not by design but by law and order, and a note can be completely legal tender even without Gandhi’s picture.