The Opposition on Wednesday asked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha to clarify whether the government has decided to scrap the newly launched Rs 2,000 note and introduce a Rs 1,000 coin instead.

However, the finance minister who was present in the House, did not respond even as the Opposition members insisted for clarification from him on the issue. Raising a point of order during the Zero Hour, SP leader Naresh Agrawal (SP) said, "the government has taken a decision to scrap Rs 2,000 note. The RBI has been given order not to print the Rs 2,000 notes. If any policy decision been taken during the Parliament Session, the tradition is to announce it in the House."

So far, the RBI has printed 3.2 lakh crore pieces of Rs 2,000 notes. And now it has stopped printing. One note ban has been done, the second one is being planned. Let the Finance Minister clarify, he said.

However, deputy chairman P J Kurien intervened to say that this was the RBI's action. Agrawal then said that the earlier note ban decision was taken by the government and not the RBI. The RBI board had opposed it but the government took the decision. This decision is also from the government, he quipped.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad also sought clarification from the government on whether it was planning to introduce Rs 1,000 coins. "Every day we read about a coin of 1,000, 100 and 200. What is the actual status? Are we to go by what media is writing? The House is to be enlightened by the Finance Minister. What is the truth," he asked. "Are we going to have coin of Rs 1,000. To carry coins, we have to purchase a bag? We must know," he added.

The Finance Minister’s silence over the issue is obviously understood as a ‘yes’ to the questions and speculations are rife that the new Rs2000 note will soon be replaced by a Rs1000 coin.

Meanwhile, the RBI is planning to release Rs200 note in the second week of August. The printing of the notes is going on at a fast pace at government mint in Mysuru. RBI hasn’t printed Rs2000 notes for five months now, even as its Mysuru printing press stepped up printing of Rs200 notes.