This refers to ads by the Government Mint ( Kolkata) inviting orders for sets of two coins including one silver- alloy coin of face- value of Rs 150 issued to celebrate 150 years of IT. Booked coin- sets will be delivered after 10 months. Significantly RBI has for long discontinued practice of issuing silver- alloy coins. First- ever post- independence silver- alloy coin of Rs 10 issued on Gandhi Jayanti (centenary) was available in plenty on the day of the release itself. Members of public can get these coins of Rs 150 and Rs 5 by paying exorbitant price of Rs 4,240 and Rs 3,925 that too after 20 months of release, while about 200 such sets were distributed free to a select few. Are commemorative coins issued to VVIPS only, that too free of cost of public exchequers?
Bhagwan Thadani (FPJ)
