The total value of currency notes in circulation has come down by a quarter to Rs.11.73 lakh crore post demonetisation, Parliament was informed today.
The value had steadily risen to March 31, 2016 since March-end 2014.
There were Rs.16.41 lakh crore worth currency notes in circulation as on March 31 last year, which has come down to Rs.11.73 lakh crore as on March 3, 2017, Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
"The reduction in notes in circulation is due to demonetisation of specified bank notes," he said.
As on March 31, 2014, there were Rs.12.82 lakh crore worth of notes in circulation, which went up to Rs.14.28 lakh crore till March 31, 2015 and further to Rs.16.41 lakh crore at the end of March 2016.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8 announced demonetisation of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, which accounted for 86 per cent of the total currency in circulation.
Post demonetisation, the government has come up with new 500 and 2,000 rupee notes with added security features.
Meghwal said that up to February 2017, there were 1.9 billion and 1.03 billion Rs.5 coins and Rs.10 coins, respectively, in the market. Besides, there were 2.6 billion Rs.10 notes and 3.6 billion Rs.20 notes, respectively.
To a query regarding the cost of printing new 500 and 2,000 notes, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the cost price of the currency note is the function of direct and indirect material and labour costs, which changes every year.
"Differences also arise due to type and age of machines and the skill level of the employees… Due to the differences, the cost of notes varies from Rs.2.87 to Rs.3.09 per Rs.500 note and from Rs.3.54 to Rs.3.77 for a Rs.1,000 note. The cost of Rs 2,000 note is in the same range as that of the old Rs.1,000 note," Jaitley said.
There are four printing presses which print currency notes — two with the Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL) and two with the Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private (BRBNMPL).