No Plan to Issue ₹50 Coin as Public Prefers Notes, Centre Tells Delhi High Court
No Plan to Issue ₹50 Coin as Public Prefers Notes, Centre Tells Delhi High Court
The Central Government has informed the Delhi High Court that it currently has no proposal to introduce a ₹50 coin, mainly due to public preference for banknotes and challenges linked to accessibility and practicality. This response came as part of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking measures to make currency denominations, especially those below ₹50, easier for visually impaired people to identify.
The Ministry of Finance, citing a 2022 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) survey, noted that the public prefers notes over coins in ₹10 and ₹20 denominations. The ministry explained that coins of higher value, such as ₹50, are generally avoided because of issues like size, weight, and lack of clear tactile differences, which make them less user-friendly.
The government highlighted that introducing new coins involves multiple considerations — including demand, production costs, and everyday usability — and current conditions do not justify the need for a ₹50 coin.
Petitioner Rohit Dandriyal argued that the visually impaired face difficulties distinguishing the ₹50 note, which lacks tactile features found in higher denomination notes like ₹100, ₹200, ₹500, and ₹2000. These raised print elements help blind users identify notes by touch.
In its reply, the government acknowledged the concern but clarified that notes of ₹10, ₹20, and ₹50 in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series do not include raised printing, as such features tend to wear off quickly due to frequent use. This, the RBI noted, would not only reduce effectiveness but also increase production costs and affect efficiency.
To improve accessibility, the government pointed to several initiatives:
- The 2019 introduction of new coins in ₹1, ₹2, ₹5, ₹10, and ₹20 denominations, designed with different shapes and sizes to help blind users distinguish them by touch.
- New banknotes issued since 2016, which have sharper color contrast and specific geometric patterns to help people with partial vision.
- Raised tactile features on higher denominations — like angular bleed lines and unique symbols (a triangle on ₹100, a circle on ₹500).
- The launch of the MANI app in 2020, which enables visually impaired individuals to identify note denominations using a smartphone camera.
During the hearing, Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Anish Dayal noted that the government’s affidavit had not yet been formally placed on record and directed that this be done before adjourning the matter.
