About India
  Overview
  Insignia
  Climate
  Government
  Constitution
  Parliament
  Judicial System
  Economy
  Education
  Science & Tech.
  Defence Forces
  Space Program
  Currency
  RBI
  BSE
  NSE
  Standard of Living
  Flag of India
  Demographics

Reserve Bank of India

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the central bank of India, and was established on April 1, 1935 in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. Since its inception, it has been headquartered in Mumbai. Though originally privately owned, RBI has been fully owned by the Government of India since nationalization in 1949.

RBI is governed by a central board (headed by a Governor) appointed by the Central Government. The current governor of RBI is Dr.Y.Venugopal Reddy (who succeeded Dr. Bimal Jalan on September 6, 2003). RBI has 22 regional offices across India.

The Reserve Bank of India was set up on the recommendations of the Hilton Young Commission. The commission submitted its report in the year 1926, though the bank was not set up for nine years.

Main objectives

  • Monetary Authority: Formulates, implements and monitors the monetary policy. 
    Objective: maintaining price stability and ensuring adequate flow of credit to productive sectors. 
  • Regulator and supervisor of the financial system: Prescribes broad parameters of banking operations within which the country's banking and financial system functions. 
    Objective: maintain public confidence in the system, protect depositors' interest and provide cost-effective banking services to the public. 
  • Manager of Exchange Control: Manages the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. 
    Objective: to facilitate external trade and payment and promote orderly development and maintenance of foreign exchange market in India. 
  • Issuer of currency: Issues and exchanges or destroys currency and coins not fit for circulation. 
    Objective: to give the public adequate quantity of supplies of currency notes and coins and in good quality. 
  • Developmental role: Performs a wide range of promotional functions to support national objectives. 
    Related Functions
    :
    • Banker to the Government: performs merchant banking function for the central and the state governments; also acts as their banker. 
    • Banker to banks: maintains banking accounts of all scheduled banks. 
    • Owner and operator of the depository (SGL) and exchange (NDS) for government bonds. 

There is now an international consensus about the need to focus the tasks of a central bank upon central banking. RBI is far out of touch with such a principle, owing to the sprawling mandate described above.

Source: Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserve_bank_of_India"

home      contact us