India's 1978 FAO coinage was issued as part of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's ongoing series encouraging member nations to publicize the twin goals of food security and adequate housing. The Reserve Bank of India participated in multiple FAO series throughout the 1970s, using low-denomination circulation issues rather than collector-only strikes — meaning these pieces were genuinely intended to pass through ordinary hands.
The aluminium-magnesium alloy was adopted for Indian small denomination coinage in the early 1970s partly as a cost-containment measure during a period of tight foreign exchange reserves and rising metal prices globally.
India's 1978 FAO coinage was issued as part of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's ongoing series encouraging member nations to publicize the twin goals of food security and adequate housing. The Reserve Bank of India participated in multiple FAO series throughout the 1970s, using low-denomination circulation issues rather than collector-only strikes — meaning these pieces were genuinely intended to pass through ordinary hands.
The aluminium-magnesium alloy was adopted for Indian small denomination coinage in the early 1970s partly as a cost-containment measure during a period of tight foreign exchange reserves and rising metal prices globally.