Polity & people · Updated September 2026
Indian currency
Indian Rupee (INR). ₹ symbol adopted 2010. RBI issues notes except the one-rupee note and coins, which the Government of India issues. GKSchools.
India’s currency is the Indian Rupee. The ISO code is INR. The symbol ₹ was adopted in 2010; the design is commonly credited to D. Udaya Kumar in classroom notes. Amounts are written in the Indian numbering system (lakh, crore) in domestic text and in millions in many international tables.
The Reserve Bank of India issues banknotes other than the one-rupee note. One-rupee notes and coins are issued by the Government of India. That split is the favourite exam trap. Notes other than ₹1 carry the signature of the RBI Governor. As of these September 2026 notes the Governor is Sanjay Malhotra (from 11 December 2024).
Decimal coinage (naya paisa) is a 1957 textbook reform. We do not invent a 2026 demonetisation, a new highest denomination, or a live exchange rate. GST is a tax on goods and services, not a currency. For the current Governor’s signature series, look at the note in your hand and at rbi.org.in.
Key points
- Currency: Indian Rupee. Code: INR. Symbol: ₹ (2010).
- Issuer of most notes: Reserve Bank of India (RBI Act).
- Issuer of the one-rupee note and of coins: Government of India.
- RBI Governor on these notes (Sept 2026): Sanjay Malhotra — from 11 December 2024.
- RBI founded 1935, nationalised 1949, HQ Mumbai.
- First Governor Osborne Smith; first Indian C.D. Deshmukh.
- We do not print a 2026 USD–INR rate.
- Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait is the familiar face on modern note series — a design fact, not a 2026 redesign rumour.
- Language panel on notes shows several Eighth Schedule languages — a currency–language crossover; still 22 scheduled languages, not 23.
- Decimal system: 1 rupee = 100 paise (1957 reform in the usual teaching).
- Demonetisation of 2016 is completed history in many papers; we do not invent a 2026 repeat.
- Finance Commission and the Budget deal with fiscal federalism; they do not print the ₹ symbol.
- GST (1 July 2017) is paid in rupees; it is not a second currency.
- Fake-note security features change by series — read the RBI pamphlet, do not invent a 2026 thread colour here.
- This page is not a forex trading desk.
- Related: RBI Governor, GST, Constitution (the Union’s finances sit in other parts).
- President Droupadi Murmu does not sign rupee notes.
- Coins may show the rupee symbol and the year of minting; mints (Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Noida) are a static extra.
- If asked “who issues currency in India?”, split the answer: RBI for most notes; Government for ₹1 and coins.
- Do not call the UPI a currency. UPI is a payment rail.
- Digital rupee pilots may exist; we do not declare a 2026 legal-tender replacement of cash.
- Pakistan rupee and Indonesian rupiah are different currencies on world-facts papers.
- Write INR in international MCQs and ₹ in Indian papers unless the option says otherwise.
- September 2026 does not add a new ISO code.
Indian currency — facts (2026)
| Topic | Fact / answer |
|---|---|
| Currency / code | Indian Rupee / INR |
| Symbol | ₹ — 2010 |
| Most notes issued by | RBI |
| ₹1 note and coins | Government of India |
| Governor (Sept 2026) | Sanjay Malhotra — 11 Dec 2024 |
| RBI start / HQ | 1935; Mumbai |
| Paise | 100 paise = 1 rupee (from 1957 teaching) |
| GST | A tax, not a currency — 1 July 2017 |
| 2026 FX rate | Not printed here |
Exam tip: Look at who signs the note. Governor = RBI issue. Finance Secretary on a ₹1 note = Government of India issue.
People also ask
What is the currency of India?
The Indian Rupee (INR). The symbol ₹ was adopted in 2010.
Who issues the one-rupee note?
The Government of India. Other denomination notes are issued by the RBI.
Who is the RBI Governor in these 2026 notes?
Sanjay Malhotra, from 11 December 2024. Confirm on rbi.org.in.