RBI to issue new Rs1,000 notes with enhanced security features

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon come out with a new series of Rs1,000 notes with enhanced security features.

The new Rs1,000 notes, to be issued in the 2005 Mahatma Gandhi Series, will have the rupee symbol and the letter 'L' inserted with numerals in ascending size in number panels, RBI officials said.

The practice of incorporating numerals in ascending size in currency notes is an important security feature that is adopted in countries like Singapore. "Such features will also help detect the genuine notes from fake ones," officials said.

"We have already issued Rs500 notes with such security features in limited quantities from our currency chests," a senior RBI official said.

"The idea of incorporating numerals in ascending size in numeral panels is to prevent forgery or counterfeit and public should not get confused if they see numerals in ascending size in the number panel," the official said.

Higher denomination notes, including Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes, together accounted for about 85 per cent of the total value of bank notes in circulation at the end of March 2015 as per RBI annual report for 2014-15. In volume terms, Rs10 and Rs100 notes together accounted for 54 per cent during the period ending March 2015.

Currency notes with numerals in ascending size in numbering panels have already been put in circulation for 100 notes.