Bangladesh has removed the portrait of former prime minister and founding father – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from its new banknotes issued from Sunday, June 1.
It should be noted the ousted PM Sheikh Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had been featured on all notes of the Bangladeshi currency.
Last August, Bangladesh has set up a caretaker government led by renowned economist Muhammad Yunus after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her flight to India. This is the first time the central bank has made a significant change to the design of its banknotes since the new government took office.
Central bank spokesman Arif Hossain Khan told AFP that the banknotes will no longer feature human figures and instead feature images of natural landscapes, historical sites, temples, palaces and other cultural heritage.
The new design also features Bengali artist Zainul Abideen’s famous painting on the Bengal famine.
The National Martyrs Memorial, a memorial to the martyrs of the freedom struggle against Pakistan, will also appear on one of the banknotes.
Three of the nine new banknotes were issued on Sunday, while the rest will be issued in phases.
Existing banknotes and coins will continue to be in circulation.
