Indian currency notes, passports and stamp papers will now be more secure and high-quality than ever before. The government has taken a major decision to increase the quality of paper used to make these important documents related to the security and sovereignty of the country. The government has approved the proposal to set up a new ‘Cylindrical Mold Watermark Banknote’ (CWBN) line to produce high-security paper. About Rs 1,800 crore will be spent on this project.
Currency notes, passports and stamp papers will be more secure, government gives green signal to big project worth Rs 1,800 crore
This important decision has been taken at a time when there has been a huge increase in the number of passports issued in the country and the process of exchanging old notes was putting pressure on the existing production capacity. Security paper is an essential part of India’s sovereign printing ecosystem. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved this proposal. This new initiative will not only improve the quality of notes and documents, but their security features will also become much stronger.
Know what is ‘Cylindrical Mold Watermark’ technology, by which a security circle is created inside the paper itself.
It is natural that the question arises in the minds of common people that what is this new technology? Let us tell you that Cylindrical Mold Watermark Banknote (CWBN) is a special type of high-security paper. It is mainly used to make banknotes, passports and non-judicial stamp paper. This paper is prepared through an advanced technology called ‘Cylinder Mold Process’. The specialty of this process is that the watermark is not printed later, but is created inside the paper itself while it is being made, which makes it impossible to copy it.
Production will double in Narmadapuram’s Security Paper Mill, new technology will replace the old machines of the 1970s.
As per the government plan, this new unit will be set up at Security Paper Mill (SPM) located in Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh. The new line will replace two of the three existing production lines, which have been in operation since the 1970s and are now obsolete. The new CWBN line will have an annual capacity of 6,000 tonnes. After its installation, the total annual capacity of the security paper mill will increase to approximately 12,000 tonnes of high-security paper. In simple words, the production of the mill will directly double.
India will become self-reliant in the matter of security paper for many decades to come, the new system will also be environment friendly.
This upgrade will directly meet the growing demand for passports, stamp papers and government security documents in the country. It will also help in replacing damaged banknotes in circulation. Officials say that the number of passports issued every year in 2024-25 has increased to more than 1.4 crore (14 million), hence the demand for security paper has increased significantly. Another feature of the new machines and process systems is that they will be completely environment friendly and will also save water. With this step, India will remain self-reliant in the matter of security paper for many decades to come.
