MUMBAI: To make Indian currency notes more secured and less prone to counterfeiting, the RBI has started printing Rs 100 notes on which the last six digits of the 9-digit currency note number will be in ascending print size from left to right. For example if a Rs 100 note has the number 9AA 123456, the ‘9AA’ part will have uniform print size for all the three characters. However, in the six-digit number part, the print size for ‘2’ will be larger than ‘1’, print size for ‘3’ will be larger than ‘2’ and so on with ‘6’ being in the largest font size.

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As of now, all other security features for this new series of Rs 100 notes will remain the same. Very soon the central bank will issue all currency notes, from Rs 10 to Rs 1,000 denominations, on which the numbering will be in this new ascending print size pattern, also called exploding font.

“Printing the numerals in ascending size is a visible security feature in the banknotes so that the general public can easily distinguish a counterfeit note from a genuine one,” a release from the central bank said. “The Reserve Bank, in consultation with Government of India, has been improving security features of Indian banknotes so as to make their counterfeiting difficult and make it easy for members of public to identify genuine banknotes,” it said.

This new security feature is part of RBI’s continuing endeavour to improve security features of currency notes to make them more robust. Going forward, the currency notes will have moving images or variation in colour, micro-perforations etc. on security threads on each currency note. The moving images and colour variations with distinct contrasts are visible only when the viewing angles on the currency notes are changed.

On June 19, the central bank invited global pre-qualification bids for eligible entities working in the field of currency security including manufacturers of security threads, inks and other related technologies. Some of the security features will also be invisible to human eyes and are only machine readable, the tender documents showed.

As part of its security enhancement measures, the RBI is also withdrawing currency notes printed prior to 2005. On Thursday the central bank extended the date to December 31, 2015 for general public holding pre-2005 currency notes to exchange the same with newer ones having better security features.