The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has kept repo rates unchanged at 6.5 percent. It has also decided to remain focused on the withdrawal of the accommodative stance, Governor Shaktikanta Das said. This is the sixth consecutive unchanged decision and comes after the Interim Budget was announced on February 1, 2024.
India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the much-anticipated Interim Budget, outlining the government’s spending plans. Overall Focus of the Budget :
• Meeting the needs and aspirations of the poor, women, youth, and farmers
• Making India a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India) by 2047
• Focusing on “sabka sath, sabka vikas” (inclusive development)
• Prioritising “GDP” – Governance, Development, and Performance
• All-round, all-pervasive, and all-inclusive approach to development
Every year, a day before the presentation of the budget document, the central government presents an Economic Survey. However, a survey will not be presented on January 31, the budget being of an interim nature and in light of the upcoming elections. A complete budget and the Economic Survey will be presented in July, when the results are declared and a new cabinet is appointed. Chief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran outlines India’s potential to reach a $7 trillion economy by 2030 in the recently released mini-annual Economic Survey titled ‘The Indian Economy: A Review,’ .
The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2023-24 in Parliament on 1st February 2023. The Budget has a vision for Amritkaal and has seven Priorities known as Saptrishi 7.
The Statement sets out various developmental and regulatory policy measures relating to (i) Regulation and Supervision; (ii) Payment and Settlement Systems; and (iii) Financial Markets.
The Reserve Bank of India on Friday hiked the repo rate by 50 bps, taking the key policy rate back to the pre-pandemic level of 5.4 per cent. Today’s hike was the third such in a row, with which the cumulative rate hike since May is now 140 bps. The central bank’s MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) said that it remains focused on “withdrawal of accommodation” to combat the elevated inflationary pressures while also supporting growth.
“These decisions are in consonance with the objective of achieving the medium term target for consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 4 per cent within a band of +/- 2 per cent, while supporting growth,” Governor Shaktikanta Das said.
Sustained high inflation could de-stabilise inflation expectations and harm growth in the medium term, he added.
Reserve Bank released the 25th issue of the Financial Stability Report (FSR), which reflects the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) on risks to financial stability and the resilience of the financial system..
The Indian rupee has plummeted to fresh all-time lows over the last several days as emerging market assets are battered by a global risk-off, which has triggered a flight to safe-haven assets. Meanwhile, foreign money continues to leave Indian assets even as the trade deficit worsens. The rupee’s fall these days, experts say, is primarily because of high crude oil prices, a strong dollar overseas, and foreign capital outflows.
Yet, the rupee has performed better, compared with several of its Asian peers and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is committed and well prepared to contain the volatility in the exchange rate.
In summary, the backdrop of heated inflation, Covid crisis, monetary tightening by key central banks, and supply chain disruptions sparked by the Russia-Ukraine war have slowed down global economic activity, leading to the rupee’s massive drop against the dollar.
EASE 5.0 ‘Common reforms agenda’ of EASENext program has been developed for Public Sector Banks and was launched through video-conferencing by the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised the repo rate by 50 basis points, an increase for the second time in five weeks at the conclusion of the monetary policy committee’s three-day meeting on June 8. Earlier, the monetary policy committee (MPC) had held an unscheduled meeting in early May and voted unanimously for a 40 basis point repo rate hike in anticipation of a huge increase in April inflation. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate stands adjusted to 4.65 per cent and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate to 5.15 per cent. The MPC also voted unanimously to remain focused on the withdrawal of accommodation to ensure that inflation remains within range going forward, while supporting growth.