There has been a consistent demand of having images of Sardar Patel, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh and other noted personalities of India on the banknotes. However, except for Mahatama Gandhi, there’s none.
By Varun Singh
Recently an RTI activist from Pune wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office, asking to print images of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Sardar Patel on the banknotes.
Praful Sarda who wrote to the PMO mentioned in the letter that both Patel and Ambedkar have played a vital role in the freedom struggle and post independence, the shaping of the country and by printing their images on banknotes, it would be a tribute for their constrictions.
There has been a constant demand from various sections of the society, that legal tender of the country should also have images of other stalwarts of the nation.
While some have even demanded that the picture of Bhagat Singh be also be there on the currency note.
Some time ago even BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy has said he was in favour of having an image of Goddess Lakshmi on the banknotes.
But it isn’t possible for any personality apart from Mahatama Gandhi to be featured on the banknotes.
This demand hasn’t cropped up for the first time. Believe it or not, but even the government had deliberated on this issue earlier.
The same question was raised by Kirti Azad in the Parliament in 2014. He had asked for inclusion of pictures of glorious personalities in currency notes.
The answer to this question was given by then Finance Minister Late Arun Jaitely. The answer of Jaitely in 2014 in the Parliament and the response by PMO recently to the question is same.
The letter from PMO to Sarda clarified that, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had constituted a High Level Screening Committee in October, 2010. The Committee, deliberated on the issue of changing the existing image of Mahatma Gandhi and inclusion of certain other personalities in the new design of banknotes. The images discussed were that of Bharat Ratna, Noble Laureates, Freedom Fighters, Sports Persons and others.
This High level screening committee was constituted on the advice of overnment of India.
However, after due consideration, the Committee decided that no other personality could better represent the ethos of India than Mahatma Gandhi.
Thus it was decided to retain the portrait of Mahatam Gandhi on the observe of banknotes and on the watermark.
The Government even went ahead with he observation.
So this is the reason why you don’t see any other personality apart from Mahatama Gandhi on the banknotes.
