...India - 2000 Rupees Dated 2017 And With Plate Letter R, Withdrew 30.09.2023

Republic of India

(Bharat Ganarajya)

Reserve Bank of India (est.1935)

Currency - Rupee (INR)

 

As per one of my previous posts, I have now posted another two 2000 rupees banknotes both dated 2017. On 19.05.2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the withdrawal of the 2000 rupees from circulation commencing on 30.09.2023. The 2000 rupees was the highest circulation banknote issued in India and the withdrawal was mainly due to illegal activities such as money laundering etc. The 2000 rupees banknote is not commonly used for transactions in the country and it is believed that many political parties like to hoard them to fund their election campaign expenses in order to get around tough spending limits imposed by the Election Commission. It is unlikely we will get to see another 2000 rupees series in the near future unless the circumstances have changed, like high inflation or some other economic situations that they are forced to issue one, or even with higher denominations like 5000 rupees.

 

The 2000 rupees was first introduced in November 2016 following the withdrawal of the previous series of 500 and 1000 rupees due to high forgeries found circulating in the economy. RBI has only issued the 2000 rupee banknotes printed with the year dates of 2016 and 2017, and majority of these notes were issued prior in March 2017.

 

It is believed that only two varieties of the 2000 rupee banknotes were issued with the year date of 2017, just like the 2016 issues. The notes that I have posted here are one without any plate letter and one printed with plate letter R. This plate letter is printed between the prefix and serial number on the top left-hand corner on the front of the note.

 

As a collector, I am pleased to say that I have now completed my collection of all four notes of 2000 rupees issued by the bank.

 

Two Thousand Rupees 

Front - The portrait of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or better known as Mahatma Gandhi (b.1869-1948). Gandhi was a Hindu and was born in Gujarat. In 1888, he went to London, England to read Laws. In 1891, at the age of 22, he was called to the bar and returned home to India. He started his working life as a British trained lawyer. However, he failed miserably and had to give up his practice and turned to drafting petitions for litigants for a living. In 1893, he went to work in South Africa. While in South Africa, he experienced discrimination and prejudice against him due to the colour of his skin. After 22 years working in South Africa, he returned to India in 1915, and became an anti-colonial nationalist, a political ethicist and successfully campaigned for India's independence from the British in 1947. In 1948, he was assassinated by Ramachandra Vinayak Godse (b.1910-1949) and he died at the age of 78, 168 days after India achieved independence from the British. 

Governor - Urjit Patel (tenure 2016-2018)

Watermark - Mahatma Gandhi and electrotype 2000

Dimensions -168.5mm x 66.5mm

 

Back - An image of the Mangalyaan, a Mars Orbiter Mission Space Probe. This space probe was launched on 05.11.2013, and has been orbiting Mars since 24.09.2014. The Mangalyaan is the first Asian made space probe to successfully orbiting Mars and to do so in its maiden attempt too. To the left is that famous Mahatma Gandhí's spectacle frame. 

 

Dated 2017, with plate letter R

Reverse

...India - 2000 Rupees Dated 2016 AND 2016 With Plate Letter R, Withdrawing By 30.09.2023

Republic of India

(Bharat Ganarajya)

Reserve Bank of India

Currency - Rupee (INR)

 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced on 19.05.2023 that it is withdrawing the circulation of the largest denomination of banknote, the 2000 rupees. The 2000 rupees was first introduced in November 2016. Its purpose was to meet the currency requirement of the economy in an expeditious manner after the withdrawal of the legal status of all Rs500 and Rs1000 in circulation. According to RBI, this objective now has fulfilled, and the availability of banknotes in other denominations in adequate quantities, and for this reason, the printing of the Rs2000 was ceased printing in 2018. RBI has only issued the 2000 rupees printed with the year dates of 2016 and 2017, and majority of these notes were issued prior in March 2017. It is always the central bank's intention to reduce high value notes in circulation, and that was the reason it stop printing them after 2017.

 

In the announcement, RBI requested the public to deposit the 2,000 rupees by 30.09.2023. Each person can deposit up to 20,000 rupees at a time. The 2000 rupees is still a legal tender note, but it is not sure what will happen after 30.09.2023. The 2000 rupees is not a common note and is hardly seen in circulation. However, the value of 2000 rupees notes in circulation is about 3.62 trillion Indian rupees, which represents about 10.8% of all currency in circulation.

 

It is believed that only two varieties of the 2000 were issued with the year date of 2016. The notes that I have posted here are the one with no plate letter and the other one with the plate letter R. The other print is with the plate letter R. This plate letter is printed between the prefix and serial number on the top left-hand corner on the front of the note.

 

Two Thousand Rupees

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (b.1869-1948)

 

Front - The portrait of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or better known as Mahatma Gandhi (b.1869-1948). During his lifetime, he started as a British trained lawyer, then anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist and successfully campaigned for India's independence from the British in 1947. Gandhi was a Hindu and was born in Gujarat. In 1893, he went to work in South Africa and after 21 years, he returned to India in 1921. He was assassinated in 1948, at the age of 78, 168 days after India achieved independence from the British.

 

Governor - Urjit Patel (tenure 2016-2018)

Watermark - Mahatma Gandhi and 2000 value

Dimensions - 166.5mm x 66.5mm

 

Back - An image of the Mangalyaan, a Mars Orbiter Mission Space Probe. This space probe was first launched on 05.11.2013, and has been orbiting Mars since 24.09.2014. The Mangalyaan is the first Asian made space probe to successfully orbiting Mars and to do so in its maiden attempt too. To the left is that famous Mahatma Gandhí's spectacle frame.

The Mars Orbiter Mission Space Probe, Mangalyaan

Two Thousand Rupees (Plate Letter R)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (b.1869-1948)

The Mars Orbiter Mission Space Probe, Mangalyaan