Kathmandu, September 19 Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has issued Rs 11 billion worth of new banknotes to different banks and financial institutions meant for Dashain till Monday. Laxmi Prapanna Niraula, executive director at the Currency Management Department (CMD) of NRB, informed that the central bank has circulated new notes of five rupees, Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50 and Rs 100 worth the above amount over the last one week. NRB had started the distribution of new currency notes to the public from September 13. “The demand for new notes in banks and financial institutions is increasing every passing day. We expect the demand for new banknotes during Dashain this year to increase by almost 20 per cent as compared to the demand in the previous Dashain,” Niraula said. As per Niraula, NRB had issued new currency notes worth Rs 11 billion during Dashain last year. “We might circulate around Rs 14 billion in new notes in the market this Dashain,” he added. However, NRB will issue new banknotes to financial institutions and public only up to September 26. NRB officials said that the demand for new currency notes during Dashain is increasing every year following the expansion of the banking system across the country and the increasing purchasing capacity of people. The central bank has set the exchange limit of new notes for public at Rs 27,000 per individual this Dashain. While different banks and financial institutions have been distributing new banknotes to the public on their own, Nepal Bank Ltd, Agricultural Development Bank Ltd and Rastriya Banijya Bank Ltd are providing the exchange facility of new notes from their 16 branches across the country. However, the public can avail new currency notes worth only Rs 20,000 from the outlets of these banks.