The Rs500 note is now slightly smaller and stone grey in colour but still features the Mahatma. On the reverse, RBI has added the spectacles logo of Swacch Bharat—prime minster Narendra Modi’s pet “clean India”campaign—and an image of Delhi’s Red Fort. Meanwhile, the Rs2,000 note is magenta in colour and represents India’s Mars orbiter mission, a new symbol to mark the distance that the country has travelled over its long history.

📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief

Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.