The new set of currency bearing a face value of Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 500 — eagerly awaited by the people across the country — were reportedly designed and printed at the Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Ltd. (BRBNMPL), the Reserve Bank of India’s currency printing press, in Mysuru.
BRBNMPL Employees’ Union president S.A. Ramdas, also a former Minister and BJP leader, told The Hindu on Wednesday that an estimated 500 million notes of Rs. 2,000 denomination and another 500 million of Rs. 500 denomination has been printed at the press in Mysuru.
“Printing began about two months ago,” Mr. Ramdas said. However, the RBI currency printing press at Mysuru is not the only place where the new Rs. 2,000 notes were printed. “Some notes have also been printed at the RBI currency printing press in Salboni, West Bengal,” he added. Claiming that he was aware of the printing of the new notes, Mr. Ramdas said the union representatives had been called for talks by the management as there was a need for stepping up production.
“There had been talks on payment of OT (over time) and other issues,” he said. However, Mr. Ramdas said there was no inkling that a move was afoot to withdraw the existing Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 currency. “Though we were aware of the printing of the new notes, there was no need for us to talk about it. I am speaking about it only now after things have come out in the open,” he said.
Mr. Ramdas also said the new currency were printed on currency paper manufactured at a recently established currency paper mill inside the premises of BRBNMPL in Mysuru.
Not only were the notes designed in Mysuru, but also printed on currency paper manufactured in the city, he added.
