The Centre has decided to come out with commemorative coin to mark the birth centenary celebration of former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Though commemorative coins are considered legal tender, they are not released for general circulation. One can source them from the specified agencies.

The ₹100 commemorative coin will be a pure silver coin with 200 serrations having a 44 millimeter. Each of the coin will weigh 40 grams.

On the obverse face of the coin shall bear the Lion Capital of Ashoka Pillar in the centre with the legend “Satyamev Jayate” inscribed below, flanked on the left periphery with the word “Bharat” in Devnagari script and on the right periphery with the word “INDIA” in English. It shall also bear the Rupee symbol “₹” and denominational value “100” in the international numerals below the Lion Capital. REVERSE: This face of the coin shall bear the image of late Vajpayee.

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The inscription “Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Birth Centenary” shall be written in Devanagari script on the upper periphery of the coin and the inscription in English shall be depicted on the lower periphery of the coin. The year “2024” shall be written on the down side of the image of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in international numbers.

It may be noted that late Prime Minister’s birth anniversary is on December 25. He served three terms as the Prime Minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full term from 1999 to 2004. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he was the first Indian prime minister not of the Indian National Congress to serve a full term in office.

He was a member of the Indian Parliament for over five decades, having been elected ten times to the Lok Sabha, the lower house, and twice to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house. He served as the Member of Parliament for Lucknow, retiring from active politics in 2009 due to health concerns.

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During his tenure as prime minister, India carried out the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998. Vajpayee sought to improve diplomatic relations with Pakistan, travelling to Lahore by bus to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. After the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, he sought to restore relations through engagement with President Pervez Musharraf, inviting him to India for a summit at Agra.

The administration of Narendra Modi declared in 2014 that Vajpayee’s birthday, 25 December, would be marked as Good Governance Day. In 2015, he was conferred India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. He died on 16 August 2018 of age-related illness.