Are ₹10, ₹20 and ₹50 notes running out in India? Know the truth!
New Delhi: The government on Tuesday assured Parliament that there is no shortage of lower-denomination currency notes of ₹10, ₹20, and ₹50 in circulation across India.
Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, responding in the Rajya Sabha, noted that lower-denomination banknotes are traditionally not dispensed through ATMs. He added that a pilot project for dispensing small-value notes via specialised dispensers has been launched to improve accessibility.
Currency supply data
As of February 26, 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has supplied:
- ₹10 notes: 439.40 crore pieces
- ₹20 notes: 193.70 crore pieces
- ₹50 notes: 130.30 crore pieces
For comparison, in the previous fiscal year (FY25), the RBI had supplied:
- ₹10 notes: 180 crore pieces
- ₹20 notes: 150 crore pieces
- ₹50 notes: 300 crore pieces
The RBI continuously assesses the denomination mix of banknotes required for the economy and makes recommendations to the government for printing accordingly. Demand for smaller denominations is met through a combination of banknotes and coins, while digital payments increasingly account for a significant share of low-value transactions.
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Digital payments and KCC transactions
On digital payments, the minister highlighted that the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) reported 3.72 lakh transactions through RuPay Kisan Credit Card (KCC) cards during FY 2025-26 (up to 31 December 2025), amounting to ₹111.17 crore.
The credit limit under KCC is determined based on factors such as crop finance requirements, cultivated area, cropping patterns, and other related needs.
The government emphasised that the RBI ensures adequate circulation of banknotes and coins across denominations to meet the country’s ongoing currency demand.
IANS