The Public Information Campaign (PIC) organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) and other wings of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting here on Tuesday threw light on how to differentiate between a genuine and fake currency note.
K. Kesavan, Assistant Manager, Reserve Bank of India, Chennai, said that there are 15 differences between a genuine and fake currency note. Explaining six prominent differences, he said that the first difference lay in the better quality of the paper in a genuine note, compared to the fake one. The most prominent difference is in the uniformity in the size of the number column, with the numbers being in bright red, and uniformly spaced in the genuine notes.
When shaken forwards and backwards, the colour of the note changes between green and blue.
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The RBI seal in a genuine note has an embroidery design, and the note has a smiling image of Mahatma Gandhi compared to the fake one.
The RBI official said that on the instructions of Neethi Raghavan, General Manager, RBI, Chennai, the RBI has conducted 1300 coin and soiled/cut notes exchange mela in 21 districts in Tamil Nadu in the last one year.
Coins worth Rs.36 crore were exchanged for currency notes in these melas.
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These melas have solved 80 per cent of the coin shortage in the State, he said.
The PIC included a stall by RBI in which soiled/cut notes were exchanged for good notes and coins exchanged for currency notes.
Mr. Kesavan said that torn currency notes of the denomination of Re. one to Rs. 20 would be fully replaced if the intact portion is more than 50 per cent.
In the case of notes of denomination Rs. 50 to Rs. 1000, they would be replaced if the intact portion is 65 per cent and above, while 50 per cent of the value of the notes would be given if the intact portion was between 40 per cent and 65 per cent.
Mr. Kesavan said that coin/soiled and cut note exchange melas would be organised by the RBI in 15 important places in Vellore district on a single day when the Department of Information and Public Relations of the Tamil Nadu government conducted its exhibition in Vellore later this year. Coins worth Rs. 6 crore would be distributed on the occasion, he said.
R. Nanthagopal, Collector of Vellore and P. Karthiyayini, Mayor of Vellore distributed coins and fresh notes to members of the public on behalf of the RBI.
RBI puts up stall for exchange of soiled
/cut notes for the benefit of the public