The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will shortly issue 500 denomination bank notes incorporting new rupee symbol, without inset letter, in the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 bearing the signature of Dr D Subbarao, and the year of printing 2011 printed on the back of the banknote.

The design of the notes to be issued now is similar in all respects to the banknotes of Rs 500 in Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 issued earlier except for the new rupee syhmbol, a release from RBI said here today.

All the Banknotes in the denomination of Rs 500 issued by the Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender, the release added.