Cabinet to choose symbol for rupee today

India will finally get its own recognisable symbol for a rupee much like the US has its trademark $ and the UK its £.

India will finally get its own recognisable symbol for a rupee much like the US has its trademark $ and the UK its £.

HT Image

When the Union Cabinet meets on Thursday, it will have to choose between five designs shortlisted after a competition that fetched nearly 4,000 eligible entries. But the one with the Hindi letter “r” with two lines intersecting it—much like the Euro — is likely to make the grade (First row right).

The Cabinet will choose the symbol that best represents the country’s historical and cultural ethos and can be easily recalled in India and the world, specially in view of India’s growing stature in the world.

Bhopal relief

On the Cabinet’s table on Thursday are also the recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on compensation, remediation and legal issues relating to the Bhopal gas tragedy.

There is pressure on the government — from the Opposition and the Congress — to hike the Rs 1,500 crore compensation, with the latter wanting it closer to Rs 2,000 crore. If the Cabinet does that, it will help the Congress dilute the Opposition’s attack that the Centre did not provide enough relief to victims. Many in the Congress hope that once the GoM’s report is implemented, the controversy will die down.