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Photo on right shows Basil Rajapaksa taking over as Finance Minister in 2021 July.
Former CBSL Governor Ajith Navard Cabraal returned as the 16th Governor on 2021-09-15 after resigning his seat in Parliament. The first Politician to become Governor of CBSL which is expected to be non-political.
In 2022 August (CBSL) issued into circulation with no press announcement, currency notes in the "Development, Prosperity and Sri Lanka Dancers" theme dated 2021-09-15 with Finance Minister signatures Basil Rajapaksa and CBSL Governor Ajith Navard Cabraal.
The Notes issued as per reply to CBSL RTI 115/2023 dated 2023-04-20, stated that the Rs1000 was not printed with 2021-09-15 date.
| Date | Denomination | First Serial | Last seen | Last Serial | Issued 2021 | SNIM rejection |
| 2021-09-15 | Rs 20 | W/644 880K | W/685 | W/724 750K | 75.6M | |
| 2021-09-15 | Rs 50 | V/327 817K | V/339 | V/370 748K | 40.7M | |
| 2021-09-15 | Rs 100 | U/826 760K | U/828 | U/912 935K | 80.9M | |
| 2021-09-15 | Rs 500 | T/334 531K | T/341 | T/366 705K | 31.1M | |
| 2021-09-15 | Rs5000 | R/279 778K | R/282 | R/317 090K | 35.75M |
Please Help Track Prefix+Serial when Date on Banknote change. Thanks.
Shown of right
the signature of Basil Rohana Rajapaksa signed in Sinhala as Basil Rajapaksa.
The new sinhala Signature of Ajith Nivard Cabraal is different from
that on previous 2010 Banknotes,
Sri Lanka is going through the worst Economic crisis that Sri Lanka
has had for 74 years since independence blamed on the corruption of
the extended Rajapaksa family in Political leadership.
Ajith Nivard Cabraal controlled the exchange rate at about Rs200 to
the US$ while the Black Rate had increased to about Rs250, and Year on
Year worker remittances rapidly decreased to 35% by 2022 February,
costing the government about US$ 4 Billion in Foreign Exchange.
After the LKRs was Floated on 9th March it depreciated in 2 months
from Rs 200 to Rs 360 to the US$.
See may article "The historical depreciation of the Sri Lankan Rupee"
Both Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and CBSL Governor Ajith Nivard
Cabraal resigned on 2022 April 3rd along with the full cabinet, after
CBSL was forced to suspend Sovereign Bond Debt repayments of about US$
51 Billion.
New Finance Minister Ali Sabry appointed on 2022 April 4th
New CBSL Governor P. Nandalal Weerasinghe appointed on 2022 April
7th
A public protest
aragalaya started on April 9th opposite the Presidential
Secretariat named GoGotaGama.
The Finance Minister Ali Sabry resigned along with the full cabinet on
2022 May 9th with the continuing Political crisis and and has declined
to be reappointed.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assumed the title till he appointed new
Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe as Finance Minister on 2022-05-25.
When the Economic crisis hit Basil Rajapakse who was Finance Minister
nicknamed Kaputa (crow) because of a comment
Kaputas hit the plane he made in broken English.
That video went Viral in 2022 February.
One of the theme protest
songs of the
aragalaya was Kaputu Kak Kak Kak, Basil Basil Dollar Hora.
Someone commented that Basil's signature looks like the drawing of a
sperm cell. I replied that it had clearly impregnated Lankan politics.
I understand this 2022 order had not been placed as of 2022 February 22nd.
I have seen a Rs20 packing strap dated 2022-02-20 with W/642 2020-08-12 dated notes.
Around February 10th Basil Rajapakse, when asked by an
journalist why CBSL was still printing money, made the frivolous
comment
in Sinhala Why notes with my signature, have not yet been issued.
I should get that Privilege
After I submitted the RTI in early April, I was told on April 19th
that CBSL needed to ask a 3rd Party to reply. This implied that CBSL,
at that time had sent new signatures to DeLaRue, but did not know if
any notes had been printed.
The image of a 1000 bundle wrapper on right indicates these Rs20 notes
were printed on May 28th.
Why was it ongoing on 2021 May 28th nearly two month after, both Basil
and Nivard had resigned in on 2022 April 3rd? Why didn't CBSL request
DeLarRue to suspend the printing of this signature pair, particularly
as the are blamed for the precipitation of the economic crisis.
There was also no urgency, as the first of these notes were issued 4 months later. It is unlikely that anyone but Banknote collectors will notice these signatures to create a public protest like they had for the Mahinda note of 2009.
On the plastic strap around the 1000 bundle the denomination and the date of Packing is given on it. On the Paper wrapper around the 100-note Pack has the date of Packing of the Banknotes and the denomination appears to be encoded in the second alpha character in OPP.
| Denom. | Prefix Start | Prefix Serial | OPP | Pack | Pack Date |
| Rs20 | W/644 880K | W/651 386K | NE 101557 | 00291 | 22-05-28 |
| Rs50 | V/327 817K | V/339 398K | ND 100794 | 00003 | 22-04-29 |
| Rs100 | U/826 760K | U/828 924K | NC 104106 | 00462 | 22-06-19 |
| Rs500 | T/335 531K | T/336 ???K | NB 101676 | 22-07-16 | |
| Rs5000 | R/279 778K | T/281 650K | NH 101546 | 00377 | 22-08-08 |
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| Rs1000 was not printed for 2021-09-15 | 
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In early 2022 August Rs20, Rs50 and Rs100 notes with the last prefix of the 2020-08-12 date were reported in circulation The new date and signatures were reported on a Rs20 note by Selliah Jackson who had got it as change from a retail shop. BoC said that it was issued by Central Cash about a week previously. The Rs50 was reported a week later, but the next Rs500 only after 7 months on 2023-03-14. They were first issued from Sampath Bank ATMs. The Rs100 was reported on 2023-03-26 and obtaned from Bank of Ceylon the next day. The Rs5000 the last to be issued of series was reported on 2023-05-05 but it took another 2 months to get an Unc pair.
In reply to my CBSL RTI 101/2022 said on 2022 Aug 25th The production process of the order referred in the information request is still ongoing. Full details on serial numbers of every denomination will be available only after the order is completed and delivered. . and added We are unable to provide an exact period of time for completion of the order referred in the subject information request. CBSL RTI 0079/2023 replied on 2023-02-16 repeats this statement on Printing. i.e. It is onging at DeLaRue over Ten months after both resigned on 2022 April 3rd.CBSL Reply on 2023-04-20 to RTI 115/2023 gave details and confirmed that all denominations except the Rs1000, were printed with the 2021-09-15 date.
Reported in Circulation as of 2023-04-20
The Rs 20 dated 2021-09-15 reported on 2022 Aug 8th by Selliah Jackson
The Rs 50 dated 2021-09-15 reported on 2022 Aug 19th by Priyadarshan
The Rs 100 dated 2021-09-15 reported on 2023 Mar 26th by Priyadarshan
The Rs 500 dated 2021-09-15 reported on 2023 Mar 14th by Kanishka Teshan Sandamal
The Rs5000 dated 2021-09-15 reported on 2023 May 5th by Priyadarshan
Please keep me the outer plastic band with CBSL logo of the brand
new 1000-pack and slips around brand new 100-packs of any Denomination
that are discarded noting the prefix on the notes. I am trying to work
out when DeLaRue printed all the notes with BR+ANR signatures. I
suspect all were printed after they resigned on 2022 April 3rd.
Thanks
The 2020-08-12 dated R/279 has been found by me in circulation.
The new Rs5000 was reported to me with an image on 2023 May 5th when I was in UK.
But when I returned on May 28th, none had been found as yet by collectors I know.
I got an Unc pair only 2 months later on 2023 July 6th. This was the first time
after a few notes were detected in circulation it took 2 months for collectors
to get any uncurulated notes from a bank.
CBSL should make available new uncirculated notes
to collectors from the museum.
The date on straps is probabaly the Packing date rather than the print date. Serial number printing must be sequential. With 40 notes per sheet each print run will generate 40 bundles. These bundles may not get loaded into SNIM in sequence. After checking SNIM will count and make 100 packs with a paper strap and then wrap 10 of these paper strap packs into a 1000 bundle with plastic straps with the CBSL logo with the date and time of this packing.
DelaRue.lk was stated in 2016 to print about 1 Billion Notes each year. The 263 Million 2022 order represents about 25% of the printig output of the facility in Biyagama which would have taken about 60 working days in Sri Lanka with about 240 working days each year.