(a) whether the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research has noticed Bacteria and Virus in the rupee notes in a research conducted by it;
(b) if so, the details of the places where the people working are vulnerable to this danger; and
(c) the details of the steps taken by the Government to tackle this problem?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES
(SHRI Y.S. CHOWDARY)
(a) Yes, Madam. The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) through an exploratory research effort has noticed presence of genetic materials in the rupee notes. The genetic material on fomites was noticed through high-throughput DNA sequencing. However, presence of genetic materials does not confirm to presence of live micro-organisms.
(b)&(c) The objective of the study was purely exploratory using the power of high-throughput sequencing and metagenomics analysis. Samples of denominations Rs.10, Rs.20 and Rs.100 were collected in sterile plastic bags from random spots such as street vendors, grocery shops, snack bars, canteen, tea shops, hardware shops, chemists, etc. across the Delhi city metropolitan area.
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