Union Budget 2019: Unveiling budget for the financial year 2019-20, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced new coin for Rs 20 along with other currency denominations Rs 1, Rs 2, Rs 5 and Rs 10. Stating that the new coins will have new features, the finance minister added that they will be easily distinguishable.
The government had recently released refreshed coins for denominations Re 1, Rs 2, Rs 5, and Rs 10 early this March. Special attention was also paid for visually impaired citizens and features were added to make them easily distinguishable. These new coins were made on the basis of the design sent by the National Institute of Design. according to media reports, the new coins weigh more and are considerably bigger than their predecessors.
Features of the previous coins
- Lion Capital of Ashoka Pillar with the Hindi transcription of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ inscribed below.
- ‘Bharat’ in Hindi on the left flank, ‘INDIA’ in English on the right flank.
- Denominational values written in international numerals on reverse face.
- Denomination of the coin words, in Hindi on the top right and in English on the top right and bottom right peripheries of the reverse face.
Proposed features of new Rs 20 coin
- Weighs 8.54 grams.
- Shape- 12-edge polygon and have an outer diameter of 27mm.
- The outer ring and an inner ring like the Rs 10 coin, with reversed alloys.
Meanwhile, the government had also released multicoloured new notes for Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 2000 in various hues after the demonetization fiasco. While Rs 10 note has a chocolate brown colour, Rs 50 note is fluorescent blue. Rs 100 is set in lavender tone, Rs 200 note is brightly yellow coloured, Rs 500 note is set in stone grey and Rs 2000 note is bright pink.
The 2019-20 is Nirmala Sitharaman’s maiden budget and the first budget for the newly elected Narendra Modi government. The government led by Narendra Modi had also released the Economic Survey for 2018-19 just a day before the launch of Budget 2019.