No fresh currency notes with Banganbandhu’s photo this Eid

The word is that the presence of Sheikh Mujib’s image in the notes led to objection

The Bangladesh Bank will not issue new currency notes for the approaching Eid-ul-Fitr, breaking away from a long-standing tradition.

The Bangladesh Bank said in a statement on Monday that the exchange of new notes among the public has been suspended.

The notification instructed banks to store deposited "fresh" notes in branches rather than exchanging them.

Earlier, the central bank said new notes would be available from Mar 19 ahead of Eid, with the notes bearing the picture of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the signature of former governor Abdur Rouf Talukder.

The notes with a new design will be released in the market by the end of April or early May, without the image of the Bangabandhu.

On this, Bangladesh Bank Executive Director Arief Hossain Khan told bdnews24.com: "Bangladesh Bank had announced the issuance of new notes. However, that decision has been reversed.

“New notes will not be issued on Eid. The Bangladesh Bank mentioned no reason to us. The [Bangladesh Bank] officials receive new notes every year too, but won’t get them this time.”

Rumours are circulating, however, that the new notes bearing the previous design will not be released due to objections regarding Sheikh Mujib’s picture in them.

Necessary measures were also taken to conduct cash transactions using re-circulated notes.

The Security Printing Corporation Bangladesh Limited, known as Takshal, prints banknotes. The printing press was established in 1976 but first started operations in 1988 by printing Tk 1 notes.

Tk 10 notes were printed in November of that year. Before printing any currency note, the government approves its design. Hence, it calls for tenders from artists to create the design.

Once the design is final, paper, ink and plates are prepared through international tenders. The plates are made abroad according to the design and then Takshal prints the notes.

The latest Tk 200 note design, introduced in 2020, featured a new look for Bangabandhu's picture.

Apart from Bangabandhu’s picture in the previously printed notes, two types of pictures were used more clearly from 2020, which have been used in all the notes printed afterwards.

Bank notes devoid of Bangabandhu’s image were printed in 2009. Then governor Salehuddin Ahmed is serving as the finance advisor of the current interim government. Some red-coloured Tk 500 and Tk 1,000 notes printed at that time are still found in the market.