RBI pushes 'Make in India' for currency security features

The Reserve Bank of India gave a huge push to the ‘Make in India’ campaign on Monday as it came out with fresh tender for currency security features, mandating that the supplier set up the manufacturing unit in the country within two years and gradually increase the local content.

RBI cancelled two tenders issued earlier for supply of security features and fibre for currency notes in order to incorporate 'Make in India' as an essential requirement. The bid document is for supply of different types of security threads, colour-shifting ink, foil patch, security fibre, paper based taggant, ink based taggant, advanced watermark and micro perforation.

"Bidder may note that their acceptance of the 'Make in India'...is a mandatory requirement for considering the bidder eligible," RBI said while inviting pre-qualification bids for supply of security features for Indian bank notes. As per the latest tender document for security featuresfor banknotes, the successful bidder will be required to set up the "manufacturing facility" in India within two years from the date of signing of contract and increase the local content in planned manner from the third year.

It will also have to increase the domestic value addition to 35 per cent in the third year, 40 per cent in the fourth year and 50 per cent or more in the fifth year.

"The bidder may set up his manufacturing unit in India through a subsidiary or under license or through transfer oftechnology to any local manufacturer permitted by the purchaser," said the pre-qualification bid document. The local suppliers are exempted from experience and past performance criteria, and average annual turnover requirement.

Further, the document said, operations of the bidder in Pakistan or China, if any, "should be suitably firewalled fromthe contract/ operations with India".

Bidder will have to give undertaking that no Pakistani national or person of Pakistani origin would be engaged by the company for the project. Moreover, the company should not post an employee who worked in India operations in Pakistan or China.