Heard of Shrimad Rajendra? He was a Jain philosopher, poet and scholar. If you didn’t know this, you may well think that the Rs 10 coin issued in his honour is fake. But you are wrong. Reserve Bank of India has issued coins in honour of great historical personalities or to commemorate certain historical events or even to honour anniversaries of institutions. The Rs 10 coin issued in honour of Shrimad Rajendra is genuine and so are several other coins issued by RBI.
In order to dispel fears of the general public, many of whom have been reluctant to accept certain coins, the RBI has issued a statement saying that it has issued 10 rupee coins in 14 different designs from the year 2009 onwards.
These are centred around various themes, many of whom you may not have heard about. However, coins issued in the themes listed below are real, genuine and official. Have a look:
| Year of Issue | Theme |
| 2017 | 150th Birth Anniversary of Shrimad Rajendra |
| 2017 | 125th Anniversary of the National Archives of India |
| 2016 | Birth Century of Swami Chinmayananda |
| 2016 | 125th Birth Anniversary of Dr Ambedkar |
| 2015 | International Yoga Day |
| 2015 | Centenary commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi’s return from South Africa |
| 2014 | Diamond Jubilee of Coir Board |
| 2013 | Silver Jubilee of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board |
| 2012 | 60 years of the Parliament of India |
| 2010 | RBI at 75 |
| 2010 | Homi Bhabha Birth Centenary Year |
| 2009 | Unity in Diversity |
| 2009 | Connectivity and Information Technology |
RBI said in the press release that “these coins have distinctive features to reflect various themes of economic, social and cultural values and are introduced from time to time”.
The Central Bank also advised banks to accept coins for transactions and exchange at all their branches.
