The government has assured Parliament that there is no shortage of lower-denomination currency notes in circulation, with the RBI supplying hundreds of crores of Rs 10, Rs 20, and Rs 50 notes this financial year.
Published Date – 10 March 2026, 03:41 PM
New Delhi: There is no shortage of lower-denomination currency notes of Rs 10, Rs 20 and Rs 50 in circulation in the country, the government told the Parliament on Tuesday.
Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, in a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, said that as per the RBI, lower-denomination banknotes have not been traditionally dispensed through ATMs.
“A pilot project for dispensing lower denomination banknotes through small value dispensers has been launched,” he informed the house.
According to the government, in the current financial year (up to February 26), 439.40 crore pieces of Rs 10 denomination notes, 193.70 crore pieces of Rs 20, and 130.30 crore pieces of Rs 50 bank notes have been supplied by the central bank.
In the last fiscal (FY25), 180 crore pieces of Rs 10 banknotes, 150 crore pieces of Rs 20, and 300 crore pieces of Rs 50 were supplied.
The RBI, as part of a continuous process, assesses the requirement of different denominations of banknotes and makes recommendations to the government on the required denomination mix to be printed.
The demand for lower denominations of currency is met through a mix of banknotes and coins. Besides, the digital modes of payment constitute a significant portion of the overall transactions, including low-value transactions.
The RBI has informed that it endeavours to put adequate quantities of banknotes and coins of different denominations in circulation on a continuous basis to meet the demand of the economy, said the minister.
Replying to another question, the minister said that, as reported by the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI), the total number of digital transactions reported through RuPay KCC cards in FY 2025-26 (up to December 31, 2025) is 3.72 lakh with a value of Rs 111.17 crore.
The credit limit to all eligible farmers under KCC is determined according to the scale of finance of the crops, area under cultivation, cropping pattern, and related requirements.
