Visit to the RBI Museum, Kolkata

Name of the Activity: Visit to RBI Museum, Kolkata
Category of the Activity: Extension Programme
Organising unit: Department of Economics
Date: 18^th February 2026
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
No. of Participants: 15 students and 5 faculty members

The Department of Economics organized an educational visit to the Reserve Bank of India Museum, Kolkata, on 18^th February 2026. On that day, fifteen semester 1 students of the department, along with five faculty members were offered an enriching insight into India’s monetary framework. The visit began at the symbolic ₹1 coin-shaped entrance of the museum. Then an official of the museum expounded on a brief history of India’s central bank – the Reserve Bank of India. He told the group about the core functions of the RBI, how it maintains price stability in the economy, regulates money supply, and promotes economic growth.

The museum exhibits traced the evolution of money over the centuries and the group got introduced to how coin sizes have reduced over time in India due to rising metal costs. Rare high-denomination and commemorative coins, reflecting India’s numismatic heritage, were also on display. A striking exhibit was a bundle of ₹10 notes worth one crore rupees. On display were machines used for note-punching and bond processing, along with UV lamps that detect counterfeit currency.

Among various displays at the two storied museum, the gold reserves section was particularly fascinating. A visitor to the museum can actually experience the weight of a standard 12.5 kg gold bar – as they get to raise a replica gold bar with one hand. The group learned that Indian households collectively hold tens of thousands of tonnes of gold, while the RBI holds over 800 tonnes as part of its official reserves. The visit seamlessly connected theory with practice, deepening the groups’ understanding of monetary economics in a dynamic and engaging manner. At the end of the visit, the museum authorities printed a certificate that mentions that students from The Bhawanipur Education Society College visited the museum on 18^th February 2026. The certificate was printed on the central bank’s bond printing machine.

Any government’s domestic economic policy revolves round its fiscal policies and monetary policy. The central bank of a country is the primary architect of its monetary policy. The visit to the RBI Museum, Kolkata provided the students an insight into some of the instruments that guide the monetary policy of a nation and how those policies impact the country’s welfare and its socio-economic dynamics.

Report prepared by:
Ananya Gupta, Shambhavi Mishra, Zuveria Naaz
(Semester 1, Department of Economics)