The Government will launch a special Rs 75 coin to mark the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the Finance Ministry announced on Thursday.

The coin will also serve as a tribute to India celebrating 75 years of Independence.

One side of the coin will feature the Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar, with “Satyamev Jayate” engraved below it. The word “Bharat” in Devanagari script will be written on the left side and the word “India” in English on the right. The rupee symbol and the denomination value of 75 in international numerals will appear below the Lion Capital.

The other side of the coin will feature an image of the Parliament complex with the words “Sansad Sankul” in Devanagari script on the upper fringe and “Parliament Complex” in English on the lower periphery.

The 35-gram coin will be circular in shape and made from a four-part alloy, which includes 50% silver, 40% copper, 5% nickel, and 5% zinc. The coin will have a diameter of 44 millimetres and 200 serrations along its edges.

The new parliament building will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. While as many as 25 parties are expected to attend the ceremony, other opposition parties such as the Congress and AAP have decided to politicise the issue and stay away from the function as they want the President to inaugurate the function.

However, the BJP has pointed out that former Congress prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had also laid the foundation stone and inaugurated new buildings in Parliament.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has criticised the decision to boycott the inauguration as a  “blatant affront to democratic ethos and constitutional values of our great nation.

The old Parliament building was completed in 1927, and is now close to being 100 years old. The lack of space in both Houses for MPs was affecting the efficiency of the work of the members. Taking this into account, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed resolutions urging the government to construct a new building for Parliament.

The foundation stone of the new building of Parliament was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 December 2020, The newly constructed Parliament building has been built in record time and will enable 888 members to sit in the Lok Sabha and 384 members in the Rajya Sabha keeping in mind the future expansion. It is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities which will help the Members to perform their functions more efficiently.

The joint session of both Houses will be held in the Lok Sabha Chamber.