Did You Know India Has A Zero Rupee Note? It’s Relevance And Uses

From demonetization to the introduction of new currency notes with denominations as high as ₹ 2000, India has seen a lot of changes. And literally, when it comes to notes, we think of its purchasing power. But have you ever heard of zero rupee notes?

Now you must be wondering what are zero rupee notes right? We are aware of currency notes with denominations as low as ₹ 10 to as high as ₹ 2000 and the ones we use on a daily basis but zero note is something most of us are unaware of.

You will be amazed to know that India has had Zero rupee notes for more than a decade!

Does RBI print zero rupee notes?

We know RBI handles the printing of the notes, but not the Zero rupee notes. These are distinguishable and aimed for a special purpose.

The utility of zero rupee notes

If we look at it from the monetary side, it is basically impossible to purchase anything from this note since it has no value but the country has had Zero Rupee notes.

Who prints the zero rupee notes?

An NGO named Fifth Pillar introduced this note in 2007 with the aim of teaching a lesson to the corrupted people asking for bribes.

The mastermind behind Fifth Pillar

Vijay Anand is an NRI software engineer who co-founded the Fifth Pillar with the aim to fight corruption. His organization is non-violently fighting against the unfair means of earning easy money.

When Vijay returned to India in 2006, he had this unique idea that would help in improving the standard of living of the Indian citizens. He decided to start this venture as he wanted the 5th Pillar apart from the existing Four Pillars of Democracy, namely legislature, judiciary, executive, and press. We need more such visionary people to eliminate corruption from our country.

Well, we can’t deny the presence of corruption in different forms in our country, especially when it comes to asking for bribes. So, instead of handing over your hard-earned money, wouldn’t it be cool to have a note specifically made to troll the corrupt officials? The perfect answer to these people hungry for money is to provide them with a note that has no value.

More about Fifth Pillar and their unique idea

This Tamil Nadu-based NGO went on to print millions of these notes in five languages including Tamil, ​​Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam. They instructed the volunteers to distribute these notes at public places such as bus stations, railway stations, and markets in order to raise awareness about bribery, with the primary goal of eradicating corruption.

5th Pillar began the campaign in 2007 by first printing 25,000 notes that were distributed in the Indian city of Chennai. After the success of the campaign, they went on to print additional notes and spread the use of the zero rupee note across the nation. From their beginning in 2014, the 5th Pillar successfully distributed over 2.5 million zero rupee notes.

There’s even a brazen note written on the note that says- If anyone demands a bribe, give this note and report the case. Clever isn’t it?

The note also says: I promise to neither accept nor give bribe

What are your opinions on the zero rupee note? Let us know in the comments.