New Delhi, October 3: In a bid to help the visually impaired, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is planning to develop an app that would help them identify new currency notes. The RBI has informed the Delhi high court that it is mulling over the feasibility of developing a device for the identification of banknotes by the visually impaired. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the Central Bank told a bench of chief justice Rajendra Menon and justice V Kameswar Rao that a presentation has been taken from a developer of the mobile app to study its feasibility. Currency in Circulation Slows Down Since May on Spike in Crude, RBI Selling Dlrs: Report.
The thought of developing an app came after a PIL informed that visually impaired people were facing hardship in the identification, usage and transaction of the new currency notes of Rs 2,000, Rs 500, Rs 200 and Rs 50 denominations. The reply by RBI came on an application filed by advocate Rohit Dandriyal in a pending PIL filed by three advocates, a company secretary and NGO All India Confederation of Blind. RBI Policy, Macro Data Key for Stock Markets This Week.
The PIL sought a change in the new currency notes to make them easily identifiable and differentiable for the visually impaired. In an affidavit, the RBI said the changing design of currency is a serious matter and needs to be considered with respect to its viability, cost and other factors at all levels.
“The RBI is exploring various alternative options including the feasibility of developing a mechanism/device for identification of denomination of banknotes by the visually impaired,” the affidavit read. The RBI, however, said that a detailed discussion is needed to examine the possibilities and the feasibility of the app.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 03, 2018 10:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).