CHENNAI: VCK MP and general secretary of the party, D Ravikumar, on Thursday called upon the Central government to honour women personalities by having their pictures in currency notes since only male leaders have been honoured in the currency for over seven decades of Independence.
Ravikumar gave notice to Lok Sabha Secretary-General in this regard, calling the attention of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
“India has a history of two centuries in issuing paper currency. After attaining Independence, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has replaced British King's portrait with Lion Capital at Sarnath. In 1969, exactly half a century ago - RBI issued a commemorative currency note with the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi on his birth centenary. Though the practice of issuing paper notes in recent, India has a unique history of issuing many types of coins. A number of ancient coins were unearthed during excavations. But to our surprise all ancient coins unearthed so far bears the names and images of male kings,” Ravikumar pointed out in his notice.
Indicating that currency note is not only a tool of our economy but also a symbol of our society, the VCK MP said “By appointing a full-time woman finance minister, India recognises the capability of women in handling financial matters of our country. This is the right time to have a picture of a woman personality in our currency. I request the Centre to issue a currency note with the portrait of Savitribai Phule (1831-1897), the first woman teacher of our nation,” he added.