One rupee coins: Republic India-III

1 Rupee: 89th inter parliamentary union conference

Established in 1889, the inter parliamentary union is a body which signifies unity between the parliaments or senates of different countries. In 1993, the 89th inter parliamentary union conference was held at New Delhi in the Indian parliament. The main objective of the union is to achieve peace and coordination between the different member countries. Apart from the 89th conference , the 57th conference was also held at Delhi.

One rupee, 2008

We know well of the hue and cry that was raised on the issue of the rupee with a "cross". (see one rupee coins: republic india-IV). As there was a massive outcry against the apparent forced evangelization of India through these coins, the 1 rupee coin with the "cross" was quietly withdrawn and replaced by the coin shown above.

One rupee: Food for the future

Weight: 6gm

Metal: copper-nickel

Subject: food for the future

The world's worst recorded food disaster happened in 1943 in British-ruled India. Known as the Bengal Famine, an estimated four million people died of hunger that year alone in eastern India (that included today's Bangladesh). The initial theory put forward to 'explain' that catastrophe was that there as an acute shortfall in food production in the area. However, Indian economist Amartya Sen (recipient of the Nobel Prize for Economics, 1998) has established that while food shortage was a contributor to the problem, a more potent factor was the result of hysteria related to World War II which made food supply a low priority for the British rulers. The hysteria was further exploited by Indian traders who hoarded food in order to sell at higher prices.

During the period from 1967 to 1978, India witnessed a green revolution. Between 1947 and 1967, efforts at achieving food self-sufficiency were not entirely successful. Efforts until 1967 largely concentrated on expanding the farming areas. But starvation deaths were still being reported in the newspapers. In a perfect case of Malthusian economics, population was growing at a much faster rate than food production. This called for drastic action to increase yield. The action came in the form of the Green Revolution.

As a "side effect" of India moving from the status of a food surplus nation from being a food deficit nation with the green revolution, a number of different commemorative coins were minted during that era on themes related to food, work, shelter and all. These two coins shown here are in that series only.

One rupee,1991: parliamentary conference

Weight: 6gm

Metal: copper-nickel

Subject: commonwealth parilamentary conference

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organsation, of British origin, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. It was founded as the Empire Parliamentary Association in 1911, with its first branches being Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the latter branch administering the association as a whole. In 1948 the association changed its name to the current Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and allowed all branches part in administration of the organisation. The branches are grouped into nine Commonwealth regions - Africa; Asia; Australia; British Islands and Mediterranean; Canada; Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic; India; Pacific, and South-East Asia.

As of 1989, the organisation acknowledges a Patron - the Head of the Commonwealth; Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - and a Vice Patron, the head of state or of the government of the branch holding the upcoming conference. The association's supreme authority is the General Assembly, constituted by delegates to the annual Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. The business and activities are managed by an Executive Committee, which reports to the General Assembly. The association's funds are obtained from membership fees paid by its branches, as well as from two trust funds and various other sources.

The 37th commonwealth parliamentary conference was held at the Indian parliament in New Delhi and commemorative coins were issued for the same.