New Delhi: A high security currency printing press in Mysuru played a key role in designing and printing of the new Rs 2000 denomination note.
According to S A Ramadas, former Karnataka minister and the honorary president of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) owned Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL) employees union, the press was asked to design the Rs 2000 currency note about six months ago and the printing started in September.
Speaking to News18 over telephone from Mysuru, Ramadas said, “Mysuru press has got the best talent. We also have in house currency designers. They designed the new Rs 2000 currency and the printing was started in September.”
About the secrecy in executing such a mammoth task, he said that employees and the union leaders knew that the Centre was going to do something “historic” with the new currency.
“The moment the order came from the RBI head office in Mumbai for new currencies, we realised that something very big was afoot. But we had to maintain secrecy and kept quiet till PM Modi announced demonetisation,” he said.
He also revealed that all employees worked non-stop for six days a week to meet the demand for huge quantity of new currency notes required to replace Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.
Ramadas, who is also a state BJP leader, plays an important role in the RSS-affiliated trade union Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) in Mysuru.
The BRBNMPL has been affiliated to HMS for a long time. Ramadas said that during Pranab Mukherjee’s term as the Union Finance minister, Bank Note Paper Mill India Private Limited was also set up in Mysuru to manufacture currency papers.
“After Karnataka government agreed to provide 24 hours uninterrupted power and water supply to the unit, the paper manufacturing unit was established by the Centre. It helps us to prevent counterfeiting of our notes. The paper mill is so advanced that it manufactures the paper with all security features embedded in it including the image of Mahatma Gandhi and the denomination Rs.2000,” he said.
He denied some media reports that new notes were airlifted from Mysuru airport. The newly-minted notes were transferred in heavily guarded goods trains from Mysuru to Bengaluru RBI office. From there it was sent to different parts of India, Ramadas said. The Mysuru press employs about 420 permanent workers and 200 temporary workers.
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