How to check if a currency note is genuine or not?

* A small floral design on the front and obverse of the note has an accurate back-to-back registration. The design will appear as one floral design when seen against the light.

* A feature in intaglio – raised print – has been introduced on the left of the watermark on all notes except the 10-rupee note. There are different shapes for various denominations (a circle for ₹500). It helps the visually impaired.

* Number panels of notes are printed in fluorescent ink. The notes also have optical fibres. Both can be seen when the notes are exposed to an ultra-violet lamp.

* The Mahatma Gandhi series of banknotes contain Gandhi’s watermark in light and shade and multi-directional lines in the watermark window.

* Optical variable ink is a new security feature incorporated in the ₹1,000 and ₹500 notes, with a revised colour scheme introduced in November 2000. The numeral appears green when the note is held flat and changes to blue when held at an angle.

* The portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, the RBI seal, the guarantee and promise clause, the Ashoka Pillar and the RBI governor’s signature are in intaglio, which can be felt by touch.

* The ₹500 note contains a readable security thread alternatively visible on the obverse with the inscriptions ‘Bharat’ and ‘RBI’. When held against light, the thread can be seen as a continuous line.

* Micro-lettering appears between the vertical band and Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait. Notes of ₹20 and above contain the denominational value in micro letters.

* On the obverse of ₹500 notes, a vertical band on the right of Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait incorporates a latent image of the denomination in numerals.