Mumbai, March 27: Reports have been doing rounds that Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is all set to roll out coins of Rs 350 denomination to mark the 350th Birth Anniversary of Sikh Guru - Guru Gobind Singh. In 2017, a similar report appeared in Hindi Daily ‘Dainik Jagran’ stating that Rs 350 coins and Rs 10 coins were to be issued on Prakash Parva- the birth of Guru Gobind Singh which is celebrated every year across the country by the Sikh Community.

According to a report by Economic Times on Tuesday, the new Rs 350 denomination coins will mark the 350th Birth Anniversary of Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji this year. The report also gives a detailed description of the coins including its features, circumference, metals used in making the coin and so on. However, there has been no official notification or confirmation on the new denomination coins by the RBI or the government so far.

As per the ET report, the circumference of the new Rs 350 coin will be 44 millimetres, and a coin will be made up of Quaternary Alloy- Silver (50 per cent), Copper (40 per cent), Nickel (05 per cent), and Zinc (05 per cent).   The report quoted a RBI notification but a close look at the RBI website and its notification had no official statement regarding the new coins. Till the time there is no official information or notification by the RBI or the government in this regard, we request people to stop sharing the information as this be can be a hoax.

Currency notes reflect the nation’s rich and diverse culture. The ET report has quoted an RBI notification saying that the face of the coin shall bear the picture of “Takht Shri Harimandir Ji Patna Sahib” in the centre in Devanagari in the picture while the inscription “350TH PRAKASH UTSAV OF SRI GURU GOBIND SINGH JI” shall be written in Devanagari script on the upper periphery and in English language on the lower periphery of the coin.  “The year “1666” and “2016” in international numerals shall be flanked on the left and right periphery of the coin," ET reported.

Sikh Guru- Guru Gobind Singh was born on December 22, 1666. The 350th Prakash Parv, also known as Prakash Utsav or the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh ji was celebrated in January 2017 in Patna.  This means, 2017 is the year of the 350th anniversary of the 10th Sikh Guru who was a spiritual master, warrior, poet, and philosopher.

Since there is no official notification by the RBI or the government on the issuance of the new denomination coins, the authenticity of the news goes for a toss! As the news remains unverified, we request people to refrain from sharing the information till there is an official word from the authorities.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 27, 2018 05:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).