Nepal Releases New Rs 100 Currency Notes Featuring Disputed Territories Claimed by India

The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has released new Rs 100 currency notes on Thursday featuring a revised map that incorporates the territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura, which India claims as its own territories.

The newly issued banknote bears the signature of former Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari and indicates 2081 BS (Bikram Samvat) as its date of issuance, corresponding to the year 2024.

This cartographic change follows the May 2020 decision by then-Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's government to unveil a new political map including these disputed regions as Nepalese territory, a decision later ratified by Nepal's Parliament.

India responded firmly to Nepal's territorial revision, describing it as a "unilateral act" and warning that such "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims would not be accepted. India maintains that Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura are Indian territories.

An NRB spokesperson explained that the map was already featured on previous Rs 100 notes but has been updated according to the government's decision. The spokesperson also clarified that among Nepal's various denominations (Rs 10, Rs 50, Rs 500, and Rs 1,000), only the Rs 100 note displays Nepal's map.

The new currency note features Mount Everest on its left side and a watermark of Nepal's national flower, the Rhododendron, on the right. A faint green outline of Nepal's map appears centrally in the background, while the Ashoka Pillar is printed nearby with text identifying "Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha." The reverse side of the note displays an image of a horned rhinoceros.

Security features include a specialized thread and an embossed black dot designed to help visually impaired individuals identify the note.

Nepal shares over 1850 kilometers of border with five Indian states: Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.