India approves new symbol for its currency rupee

1.654705-2469420584 — A handout picture released by the Indian Press Information Bureau (PIB) shows the new symbol for the Indian rupee. India unveiled a symbol for its rupee currency that it hopes will become as globally recognised as signs for the dollar, the yen, the pound and the euro. Image Credit: AFP

New Delhi: The Indian Cabinet on Thursday approved the new symbol for the Indian rupee – an amalgam of the Devnagiri 'Ra' and the Roman capital 'R' without the stem.

The symbol, designed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) postgraduate D. Udaya Kumar, was selected from among five shortlisted symbols before the Cabinet, Information and Broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said after the cabinet meeting. "It is just a symbol," she told reporters.

For Indians used to seeing the dollar symbol on the keyboard, this will be a welcome change. It will be just a matter of a few months for India's new rupee symbol to be a part of the software code to be easily accessible to users across the world, according to technology vendors.

Research scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology D. Udaya Kumar displays the new symbol of the Indian currency designed by him. India got a new symbol for its currency, the rupee, which the government hopes will reflect the growing might of the Indian economy. The new symbol, chosen after a nationwide competition, shows a combination of the Roman letter R and its Hindi equivalent. Image Credit: AP