RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra

RBI to Issue New Rs 100 & Rs 200 notes with Governor Sanjay Malhotra’s Signature

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that new denomination banknotes of Rs 100 and Rs 200 in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series will be issued soon bearing the signature of new RBI Governor Shri Sanjay Malhotra. The bank had already notified issuance of Rs 50 denomination banknotes bearing Shri Sanjay Malhotra’s signature in February 2025.

Key highlights:

  • The new Rs 100 and Rs 200 banknotes will be similar to prevalent Rs 100 and Rs 200 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series in all respects such as design, color and security features.
  • The only change will be the inclusion of new governor’s signature on the banknotes, replacing that of the previous governor.
  • However, all Rs 100 and Rs 200 denomination banknotes issued by RBI in the past will continue to be legal tender, as per a press release on March 11, 2025 by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • The new notes will be pushed into circulation through banks and ATMs across the country in upcoming months.

Shri Sanjay Malhotra, a long time bureaucrat and policy maker in several Indian financial and economic ministries was appointed as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on December 11, 2024. The governor in February 2025 during his inaugural MPC meeting, announced a reduction in repo rate by 25 basis points, bringing it down to 6.25%, marking the first rate cut in nearly five years.

Why does the RBI issue new banknotes with every Governor?

Whenever a new RBI Governor is appointed, RBI gradually introduces the new banknotes that bear the signature of new Governor. This does not indicate any policy change but is done due to few reasons such as:

  • Helps identify notes during different periods
  • Each Governor’s signature indicates a formal marker of their tenure
  • The governor’s signature signifies that the banknote is a legally backed promise by the RBI since ‘RBI governor is responsible for the issuance and regulation of India currency as mandated by the Reserve Bank of India Act 1934’.
    This is also done to ensure consistency and legacy in the monetary system.

The issuance of new banknotes bearing the signature of the incumbent RBI governor is a long-standing tradition.

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