Earlier, it was easy to know the value of a coin with a quick look. Now, with the introduction of new coins, it is not so. The following pairs of old and new coins look the same: (a) 50 paise and Rs 1; (b) Rs 1 and Rs 2; and (c) Rs 1 and Rs 5. As a result, every time a citizen wants to hand over change to a bus conductor or a shop he has to see the denomination. If he happens to see the obverse of the coin he has to turn it around to see the reverse that contains the value. It becomes irksome when one has to hand over several coins to buy a ticket in a moving bus while standing. With the use of vending machines and public telephones, it is necessary that the size and shape of coins remain the same, even though the metallic content may be altered to forestall arbitrage. It is a matter involving a billion people in daily transactions.
A Seshan, Mumbai
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