New currency notes, new era: Sheikh Mujib’s image to be excluded in upcoming Bangladesh Bank notes

Bangladesh is set to release new currency notes in late April or early May. 

But there‍‍`s a big change — the image of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will no longer appear on the upcoming notes.

Arif Hossain Khan, Executive Director and Spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank, confirmed this information. 

He shared that the new notes, featuring the signature of current Governor Ahsan H. Mansur, will replace the old ones that still bear the image of the Father of the Nation.

"By the end of April or early May, when Bangladesh Bank introduces the new notes, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman‍‍`s image and the signature of the former Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder will be removed. Instead, the new notes will carry the signature of the current Governor," Arif Hossain Khan explained.

But what’s behind this decision? Arif Hossain Khan clarified that Bangladesh Bank still holds a significant stock of notes with the previous design. 

"To avoid wasting money, we are not printing new designs yet. We want to ensure that financial resources are used wisely," he added.

As for the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, new notes will be available for exchange from March 19 to 25. Special arrangements will be made at 80 branches of scheduled banks in Dhaka and nearby areas, as well as at various offices of Bangladesh Bank. 

People can exchange 5, 20, and 50-taka notes, but they will only be allowed to do so once.

This announcement also highlighted the locations where people can exchange the notes, including 80 bank branches in Dhaka, Savar, Keraniganj, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Gazipur.

The responsibility for printing Bangladesh‍‍`s currency rests with the Security Printing Corporation (Bangladesh) Limited, better known as Takshal. 

Established in 1976, Takkashal started printing currency notes in June 1988, beginning with the one-taka note. 

Over the years, it has been responsible for printing various denominations of currency notes.

Before printing, every design goes through a rigorous approval process. 

Artists are hired through tenders to create the designs, which are then finalized by the government. 

Afterward, international tenders are called to source the necessary paper, ink, and plates for printing. 

These materials are brought into Bangladesh, where Takkashal prints the notes.

The most recent change to currency notes was seen in 2020 with the release of the new 200-taka note. 

This note featured an updated image of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, giving the iconic portrait a fresh look.

The last batch of notes to feature the old image of Bangabandhu was printed in 2009. 

These notes, which included red 500-taka and 1,000-taka bills, were issued during the time of Governor Saleh Uddin Ahmed, who currently serves as an economic advisor to the interim government. 

Interestingly, some of these notes are still in circulation today.

The upcoming changes to the currency notes, especially the removal of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman‍‍`s image, mark a significant shift in the design, but the public will have to wait a little longer for the official release.