The Reserve Bank of India has revealed that the Union government pays Rs.3.09 for every note of the new Rs 500 being printed by RBI-owned Bhartiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL). In a reply to an RTI query by activist Anil Galgali, the central bank has said that it pays Rs.3090 for one thousand pieces of Rs.500 notes.
The BRBNMPL, however, refused to give other information like the total quantity placed in the order to print, its number, value, the total amount of contract, amount released and amount pending, saying “the information cannot be provided since it is considered as 'exempted information' that falls under the ambit of section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act, 2005”.
Galgali said, “Actually, this information should be voluntarily disclosed by the RBI on its website. I am surprised why the government or the RBI cannot disclose the amount released and the amount to be released.”
To another query raised by the same activist, the Reserve Bank said that it had no specific data of the number or value of fake currency detected since the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. “We presently do not have the confirmed data on this query,” said a reply from the RBI's Department of Currency Management (Forged Note Vigilance Division).
Nearly 11 weeks after demonetisation, the RBI admitted that it had no data available on this 'much publicized' issue. “This proves that the government's claims of demonetisation as a weapon to kill fake currency are hollow,” Galgali said. He added that this was merely a bogey created to justify the decision of demonetisation.
“Now it is the prime minister's duty, in the national interest, to declare the value of the counterfeit notes recovered,” he said.
