Farmers in a remote village in Madhya Pradesh reportedly received Rs 2,000 notes without the image of Mahatma Gandhi on them from a local branch of the State Bank of India. Officials, however, assured the panicked residents of Sheopur district that the bills were genuine, not counterfeit, The Times of India reported on Thursday.
The bank chalked off the missing image of Mahatma Gandhi to a “printing error”. SBI’s Sheopur District Manager Akash Shrivastav told The Times of India that the notes were taken back as soon as the error was brought to their notice. The faulty currency was distributed by the Shivpuri Road branch of the bank in Bicchugavdi village.
The Reserve Bank of India has printed Indian currency with Mahatma Gandhi’s image since 1996, when the “Gandhi Series” of notes was issued. Since the demonetisation drive was implemented, the “Gandhi Series” has been replaced by the “Mahatma Gandhi New Series” as legal tender.
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