In today’s digital era, many daily payments such as bill payments and mobile recharges are done online.
Because of this, the use of cash—especially small notes—has reduced in many places. Often when people go to the market with a ₹100 or ₹500 note, shopkeepers say they do not have enough change.
Small notes are still important for everyday expenses such as paying auto-rickshaw fares or buying small items.
Despite this common problem, the government says that there is no shortage of small denomination notes in the market. At the same time, a plan is being discussed to improve the availability of small notes through ATMs.
Government’s Plan for Small Notes
Last Tuesday, the central government informed Parliament that the country has an adequate supply of small notes. According to Pankaj Chaudhary, ₹10, ₹20, and ₹50 notes are already available in sufficient numbers across the country.
However, people usually receive ₹500 notes when withdrawing cash from ATMs. Sometimes ATMs dispense ₹100 or ₹200 notes, but smaller denominations are rarely available.
Because of this, people often face difficulty finding change for ₹500 notes.
To solve this problem, the government has started a pilot project. Under this project, special “small denomination dispensers” are being tested in ATMs.
These upgraded machines will allow users to withdraw ₹10, ₹20, and ₹50 notes directly. If this system works successfully, it could make it much easier for people to get smaller notes when withdrawing cash.
Supply of Small Notes in the Country
The government also shared data about the supply of small denomination notes in the country.
In the current financial year (as of February 26), the Reserve Bank of India supplied ₹439.4 crore worth of ₹10 notes, ₹193.7 crore worth of ₹20 notes, and ₹130.3 crore worth of ₹50 notes.
In the previous financial year (2025), the supply included ₹180 crore worth of ₹10 notes, ₹150 crore worth of ₹20 notes, and ₹300 crore worth of ₹50 notes.
The Reserve Bank of India regularly reviews the demand for different currency denominations and decides how many notes should be printed.
According to the government, the demand for small-value cash is met through both banknotes and coins. At the same time, digital payments are now widely used and cover many small transactions as well.
