RBI announces monetary policy keeping repo and reverse repo rate unchanged - (10 Feb 2022)

Banking

On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macro-economic situation, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 4.0 per cent. The reverse repo rate under the LAF remains unchanged at 3.35 per cent and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 4.25 per cent. 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.

The impact of the ongoing third wave of the pandemic on the recovery is likely to be limited, improving the outlook for contact-intensive services and urban demand. The announcements in the Union Budget 2022-23 on boosting public infrastructure through enhanced capital expenditure are expected to augment growth and crowd in private investment through large multiplier effects. Global financial market volatility, elevated international commodity prices, especially crude oil, and continuing global supply-side disruptions pose downside risks to the outlook. The inflation projection for 2021-22 is retained at 5.3 per cent. On the assumption of a normal monsoon in 2022, CPI inflation for 2022-23 is projected at 4.5 per cent. The real GDP growth for 2022-23 is projected at 7.8 per cent.

COVID-19 continues to impart some uncertainty to the future outlook. Measures announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 should boost aggregate demand. The MPC judges that, the ongoing domestic recovery is still incomplete and needs continued policy support. It is in this context that, the MPC has decided to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent and to continue with an accommodative stance as long as necessary to revive and sustain growth on a durable basis and continue to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target going forward.

Tags : MONETARY POLICY ECONOMY REPO RATE