India announces and unveils future issue of new 20-rupee circulation coin

The Finance Ministry has announced via an official gazette notification that they will issue new 20-rupee circulation-type coins with an exchange value of 29 U.S. cents. Unlike all other currently circulating coins, the new denomination is designed as 12-sided. This new coin, as well as a newly redesigned series of circulation coins, was officially unveiled by the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, during a ceremony on the 7th March at his official residence in New Dehli and was accompanied by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that day. The distinctive shape was incorporated into the design to differentiate it from other coins for visually impaired persons. Similar to the present 10-rupee coin, the new denomination is bi-metallic with the silver and gold coloured metals being reversed with an outer cupro-nickel ring and copper-zinc centre disc which appears golden in colour. The coins have a diameter of 27 millimetres, as does the 10-rupee coin, but will be easy to distinguish and identify due to the 12 flat sides around the outer edge.

Depicted on the reverse side is the Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar, a sculpture of four Asiatic lions standing back to back, on an elaborate base. Below the motif is the text सत्यमेव जयते (Satyamev Jayate) ancient Sanskrit meaning “truth alone triumphs.” which is India’s national motto and appears on the national symbol. The Hindi text भारत and “INDIA” will be inscribed on the left and right of the primary design

The obverse side of the coin includes the denomination 20 in Western numerals. The rupee symbol, ₹, is included above the numeral. The inclusion of stylised wheat sheaves is a reference to the agricultural dominance of the country, and they are placed on the left side of the coin’s numeric denomination. The top right and bottom right peripheries include the text बीस रुपये and TWENTY RUPEES in English. The year of minting in Western numerals will be placed towards the centre-left side of the coin. At 8.54 grams, the 20-rupee coins will be the heaviest in circulation.

Along with the issue of this new denomination, the Finance Ministry has authorised the redesign of the country’s other four currently circulating denominations of one, two, five, and 10 rupees — all with the same motif and design as the new 20-rupee coin.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Shape
One rupee	Stainless steel	3.09 g	20 mm	Round
Two rupees	Stainless steel	4.07 g	23 mm	Round
Five rupees	Nickel-brass	6.74 g	25 mm	Round
10 rupees	Bi-metallic	7.74 g	27 mm	Round
20 rupees	Bi-metallic	8.54 g	27 mm	12-sided

The exact date of release of the new coins was not mentioned in the gazette’s notification but it is also understood that a banknote of the same denomination is also planned for release, which is part of the redesign of banknotes undertaken by the Reserve Bank (RBI) since 2017. The RBI has indicated that the issue of the 20-rupee coin is part of an effort to reduce the amount of money spent to produce this denomination. Coins can generally have a 20 to 30-year lifespan versus a frequently used note of the same value, which may last less than 10 months before it would need to be replaced.

Per India’s Coinage Act of 1906, the Government of India has the sole right to mint coins and the responsibility for the supply of coinage vests solely with the government. Coins are currently minted at the four India Government mints located in Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Noida.

For additional information on the banknotes presently in use in India, please visit the website of the Reserve Bank.

For information about the circulation coins of India, please visit the website of the India Government Mint, Hyderabad.

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