Nepal to issue new Rs 100 note featuring map including Indian areas

Nepal, on May 3, announced the printing of new Rs 100 currency note adorned with a map that includes the contentious territories of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani, previously labelled as "artificial enlargement" and "untenable" by India.

Government spokesperson Rekha Sharma disclosed the decision following a council of ministers meeting chaired by Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. "The cabinet has given the green light to incorporate Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani in the design of the Rs 100 banknote," Sharma stated.

Sharma, also the Minister for Information and Communication, highlighted that the decision to redesign the currency was ratified during cabinet sessions held on April 25 and May 2.

The move follows Nepal's completion of updating its political map on June 18, 2020, which integrated the strategically significant areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura into its territory through a constitutional amendment. India promptly criticised this move, denouncing it as a "unilateral act" and rejecting Nepal's "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims.

India maintains that Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura belong within its borders. Nepal shares a border spanning over 1,850 km with five Indian states: Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.