Published on 23rd August, 2026
The trial will need real-world
users. Can the journey of creating that sample population be visible
Nayakanti Prashant
3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru
The Starting Point
A new field trial is being planned for ₹10 and ₹20 polymer
banknotes.
The objective is to see how the notes perform in real-world
circulation.
And that immediately raises a different question:
Where does the field begin?
Imagine a potential participant in Bhuj.
A shopkeeper in Guwahati.
A commuter in Madurai.
A family in Kochi, whose son lives in Dubai and remains
closely connected with home.
A relative in Pune, whose daughter works in London.
Different places.
Different lives.
One potential field population.
What if there were a simple public-facing portal
through which eligible citizens, businesses or locations could express interest
in participating?
Not a public vote.
Not public selection of the sample.
The final methodology, eligibility and selection would remain
entirely with the designated institution or authority conducting the
trial.
But the starting point could become visible.
Prospective Audience
Who might naturally encounter a ₹10 or ₹20 polymer note?
A pilgrim at Puri.
A visitor to Palani.
A high-school student in Mysuru.
A commuter in Guwahati.
A street vendor in Madurai.
A small retailer in Bhuj.
A family in Kochi, whose son lives in Dubai.
A relative in Pune, whose daughter works in London.
The audience could therefore include:
Pilgrims and visitors.
High-school students.
Small retailers.
Street vendors.
Public-transport users.
Everyday cash users.
And perhaps that is the interesting part.
₹10 and ₹20 notes naturally travel through
everyday India.
So why not let the potential field population reflect that
everyday journey?
A public portal could allow eligible citizens, businesses
or locations to express interest.
Not a vote to decide the trial.
A visible doorway to participate.
The final methodology, eligibility and sample selection would
remain with the designated institution or authority.
Act I — The First Step
Imagine the portal opening.
“Interested in participating in the polymer ₹10 /
₹20 field trial?”
A citizen expresses interest.
A retailer expresses interest.
A location expresses interest.
The system acknowledges the expression.
Nothing more is promised.
The sample is still created according to the trial
methodology.
But now, before the first polymer note enters circulation,
something has already become visible:
The journey towards creating the field. Nothing
More – Nothing Less.
Act II — From Interest to Selection
The portal closes.
The expressions of interest are now visible to the trial
administrator.
Perhaps they come from:
Pilgrimage locations.
Schools.
Retailers.
Public-transport users.
Everyday cash users.
But an expression of interest is not a selection.
The designated institution applies its own methodology.
Eligibility → Sample
Design → Selection
The public portal does not decide the field.
It simply makes the starting pool visible.
Act III — When the Field Comes Alive
Now the selected participants begin encountering the polymer
notes.
A ₹10 note at Varanasi.
A ₹20 note with a student in Shillong.
A small purchase in Kollam.
A bus journey in Cuttack.
A pilgrim in Ujjain receives one as change.
The notes begin travelling.
And that is when the field trial becomes real.
Selection →
Circulation → Observation
Different users.
Different environments.
One living field trial.
Act IV — One Citizen Illustration
Perhaps the public-facing journey could eventually show only
the broad stages:
Expressions of Interest
↓
Eligible Pool
↓
Selected Sample
↓
Notes in Circulation
↓
Observations / Feedback
↓
Trial Findings
No individual participant details need to be public.
No selection methodology needs to be disclosed beyond what the
designated institution considers appropriate.
No public voting on the outcome.
Just enough visibility to understand:
How did the field trial move from an idea to a
real-world sample?
Illustrative concept only.
The field is not the result.
The field is where the learning begins.
One Citizen Thought
A field trial is ultimately about learning from real-world
use.
The notes may travel through a school, a shop, a bus, a
pilgrimage centre or an ordinary household.
Perhaps the value is not only in where the notes are tested,
but also in seeing how the field itself was created.
Expression →
Selection → Circulation →
Observation → Learning
The First Line on the Whiteboard
A field trial needs a field. Let the field be
visible. Nothing More — Nothing Less.
A Citizen Observation
Could a public-facing participation portal be
considered for the ₹10 and ₹20 polymer-note field trial?
Not to decide the sample.
Not to vote on the outcome.
Simply to provide an accessible route for eligible citizens,
businesses or locations to express interest, with the final methodology,
eligibility and selection remaining entirely with the designated institution or
authority.
Perhaps the public-facing journey could then show, at an
appropriate aggregated level:
How the field was created.
How the selected sample entered circulation.
How observations were gathered.
What the trial ultimately learned.
The actual sampling methodology, safeguards, data collection
and evaluation would naturally remain with the designated institution and
relevant experts.
The citizen suggestion is simply: make the field
journey visible.
Closing Thought
A ₹10 note.
A ₹20 note.
They may travel farther than the field in which they began.
From Ziro to Ratnagiri.
From Kumbakonam to Jaisalmer.
Perhaps even from an Indian household to a relative abroad —
and back into the conversation about how everyday India uses cash.
Different journeys.
One field trial.
And perhaps, before asking what the trial discovered, there is
one small journey worth making visible:
How did the field itself come to be?
Disclaimer
This Citizen Observation is based on publicly available
information concerning the proposed field trial of ₹10 and ₹20 polymer
banknotes.
It is a citizen observation and not a recommendation on
currency policy, note design, sampling methodology or field-trial
implementation.
The proposed participation portal and journey are illustrative
only. Eligibility, sampling, selection, circulation, data collection, privacy
safeguards and evaluation would remain matters for the designated
institution or authority and relevant domain experts.
No individual participant information is proposed to be made
publicly visible.
April 11 — Digital Transactions Day
A field trial may begin with physical notes.
But the journey around that trial can also be digital.
Express → Select →
Circulate → Observe → Learn
Perhaps better digital journeys do not merely record the
outcome.
They make the journey easier to understand.
The Joy of Digital Transactions
The Joy of Digital Transactions
Nayakanti Prashant
3rd Gen Banker & Citizen Lobbyist – Bengaluru
Advocating Digital Transactions Day (April 11)
Author’s Blogs
https://prashantrandomthoughts.blogspot.com
https://prashantnepayments.blogspot.com
https://innovationinbanking.blogspot.com
