The Minister stated that the regular issuance of polymer banknotes in these denominations would commence only after the successful completion of the field trials. Polymer notes to be more durableChaudhary informed Parliament that, as per the RBI and international studies, polymer banknotes have a significantly longer lifespan than paper currency. No plan to replace paper currencyThe Centre clarified that polymer notes will be introduced alongside existing paper banknotes and are not intended to replace paper currency altogether. "The RBI has proposed issuing polymer banknotes along with paper substrate-based banknotes, and there is no proposal to replace paper currency with polymer substrate-based banknotes," the Minister said. Chaudhary noted that the effect of polymer banknotes on digital payments can only be assessed after their regular issuance following successful field trials.