India to get plastic notes soon: Why the move is important - explained

RBI has already floated the tender to source materials for the polymer notes with its currency printing arm Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Pvt Ltd inviting global expressions of interest. The step assumes significance because India has discarded around Rs 50 trillion worth of soiled notes in the last decade.

The RBI will issue 100 crore Rs 10 notes and 100 crore Rs 20 notes, taking the total trial to 200 crore polymer banknotes worth around Rs 3,000 crore.

3 min readUpdated: Jul 27, 2026 08:03 PM IST The mention of the two denominations of banknotes is the first official confirmation of which notes will be targeted in the RBI’s field trials.The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) trial of plastic notes will see the introduction of 100 crore pieces of Rs 10 and Rs 20 notes each