Stone grey coloured Rs 500 currency notes and magenta coloured Rs 2,000 currency notes will be put into circulation by the Reserve Bank of India following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes now in use will no longer be legal tender from today.
The predominant new theme of the Rs 500 note is the heritage site of Red Fort.
The RBI said it is introducing the new design banknotes of Rs 2,000 denomination as part of Mahatma Gandhi (new) series. It has motif of ‘Mangalyan’ (ISRO’s Mars mission) on the reverse, depicting the country’s first venture in interplanetary space.
Both the new notes will have the logo as well as slogan of Modi’s pet programnme ‘Swachh Bharat’on the reverse.
Once the new notes are put into circulation, the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, which are hoarded by anti-national and anti-social elements, will become just worthless pieces of paper, the PM said in his address to the nation. The rights and the interests of honest, hard-working people will be fully protected, he added.