India to offer microloans for people living with HIV

..... Providing loans to HIV positive people isn’t a great financial risk, says Thotngam Jamang, Deputy General Manager of the Reserve Bank of India, which oversees commercial operation of banks in India. “Many of them have skilled knowledge and are well versed in traditional economic activities such as crafts, et cetera. But there are few employment opportunities. These loans will support entrepreneurship.” Jamang adds that the banks will arrange regular health check-ups for loan recipients......

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Central banker’s reformist vision

........... Jalan covers a lot of ground in this compendium of various papers, speeches and essays and is consistently in favour of liberalisation and reform. He rejects, quite unequivocally, the old and failed “command and control” policies copied from the Soviets. He also questions the efficacy of the elaborate five-year plans in the absence of a dynamic “public delivery system” at the “Centre, State and district” levels. Jalan plainly states: “Without strengthening the ability of the Government to do what it alone an do, and narrowing the focus of its activities to what matters most for the future development of the country — education, health, clean environment and a functioning infrastructure — India cannot adequately seize the opportunities that lie ahead.” He goes on to say, “No amount of macro-policy reforms by themselves will be sustainable or yield permanent results.”........

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MICR, IFSC code must on passbook, a/c statement: RBI

The Reserve Bank has made it mandatory for all banks to print the MICR and IFSE code on the passbook and statement of account of the customers...................

Read - Hindustan Times

ATM fraudsters auction data abroad: SBI

.....The authorities had detected 29 Canara Bank ATMs fitted with skimmers in Chennai and eight in Bangalore recently. The fraudsters had stolen in 1.5 lakh data and sold them off to Russia...........

Read - Indian Express

Fake currency notes came via LoC trade route: Cops

.............Police said the currency notes had been neatly packed in 33 bundles of ladies fabric suits, and had been sent from Pakistan through the LoC trade route. The LoC trade is conducted between businessmen from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and those from Jammu and Kashmir along two routes...................

Read - Express India

Your inflation woes worsen

........our tryst with inflation is far from over. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), last week, cut interest rates on signs of moderation in inflation. But here's why it may be too soon to conclude that inflation has been reined in as far as you — the consumer — are concerned...............

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Govt's 7-7.5% growth target over ambitious: Deepak Parekh

…………"The RBI has swallowed the bitter pill despite no decline in inflation , but it’s about time that we give a little bit of growth to the economy. I'm not satisfied over the recent policy flip-flops by the government."……………..

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Random Numbers

.............That explains why finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was so jittery last week when T.C.A. Anant, secretary in the ministry of statistics, admitted something went horribly wrong in February. The ministry revised January’s index from the very encouraging 6.8 per cent to a measly 1.1 per cent. (Manufacturing is 40 per cent of the Indian economy and 15 per cent of its jobs). The revised IIP data was a key factor for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to cut the policy rate by 50 basis points—the first time in three years. It did so, RBI governor D. Subbarao says, with an eye to slipping growth.

Of course, if the RBI had known this data from the start, would it have acted earlier?............

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3rd successive year of profit for Shikshak Bank

........ Vice chairman Sanjay Narke says that the bank now hoped to entirely wipe out the losses in couple of years and an improvement in the grading according by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). "With financial parameters improving Shiskshak Sahakari Bank qualifies for providing real time gross settlement services (RTGS), and there are also plans to implement core banking system which enables anywhere any time banking,".............

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Accounting standards advisory panel reconstituted

.....This time around, there has been only minimal change to the constituents with as many as seven members of last year's panel getting re-appointed. The Presidents of all the three professional institutes — ICAI, Institute of Cost Accountants of India and Institute of Company Secretaries of India — are on the reconstituted panel. The members who got re-appointed are Mr P.R. Ravi Mohan, Chief General Manager of RBI (RBI nominee); Ms Usha Narayanan, Executive Director, Securities and Exchange Board of India; Mr Ashok Haldia (Assocham nominee); Mr S. Santhanakrishnan (CII nominee); Mr Sunil Gupta, Joint Secretary, Central Board of Direct Taxes; and Ms Renuka Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs.................

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Tackling fake currency

The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to ensure that fake notes are detected at the branch level to avoid inconvenience caused to the common man in case he unknowingly comes in possession of counterfeit notes. “It has already been stipulated that bank notes in the denomination of Rs 100 and above are processed through machines conforming to the standards/parameters prescribed by the Reserve Bank, before issuing them over their counters or through ATMs,” said the RBI in its annual policy statement................

Tackling fake currency - Indian Express

RBI has jumped the gun : S.S.Tarapore

There is a real threat of a resurgence of inflation, and the external sector indicators are not favourable. In this situation, monetary easing by the RBI was, perhaps, too much and too early..................

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Monetary policy

The two articles ‘RBI has jumped the gun' and ‘What is ‘aam aadmi' to make of RBI's gambit?' (Business Line, April 20) decipher the implications of a ‘caged' monetary policy for the economy and, more particularly, for the common man. One, top echelons in government pre-empt any manoeuvrability available to the RBI by explicitly stating the direction and extent of relaxation in monetary policy. Two, a soft repo rate leads to arbitrage operations by banks borrowing from the RBI and investing in certificate of deposits. Three, insensate window-dressing by banks contaminate parameters on which policies are built. It is time the political bosses started looking at grass-root level improvements. .

- M. G. Warrier, Thiruvananthapuram

In the middle of a muddle

.......Since according to that yardstick inflation is still with us and would possibly climb, it could be argued that the RBI, which is convinced that a hike in interest rates is the appropriate weapon against inflation, was pushed into cutting interest rates at this point. However, the muddle over policy seems to afflict the RBI as well. In its recent assessment of Macroeconomic and Monetary Developments over the last financial year, the central bank has also come out in favour of increases in petroleum product prices and other input prices to address the threat posed by “suppressed inflation”. That is, since the transmission of international prices is inevitable, imported inflation can only be suppressed and not avoided. And, if supressed, inflation is a threat. However, if that be the case, since further inflation is almost a certainty, the RBI’s by its own logic would be forced to reverse its interest rate reduction decision. Why cut interest rates then?.................

Read - The Hindu

A delicate balance

The Reserve Bank of India’s annual credit policy, considered as the second biggest economic event after the budget, has brought cheer on the faces of India Inc and the market, heralding a new era of hope for the government, which had almost halted on reforms of late. RBI Governor D. Subbarao has done the unthinkable, cutting interest rates to the tune of 0.5 per cent — the sharpest in three years and also nudged the bank CEOs to find a way to reduce rates. Clearly, the message is to deliver, pass on the rate cut immediately to home buyers, businessmen and investors, whose lacklustre performance has contributed in further slowing down of the economy.…….

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India economy to recover, more rate cuts seen: Reuters Poll

......Indeed, the RBI was still raising interest rates long after many others started cutting them, severely crimping growth and punishing the rupee. Other central banks like the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, with interest rates at the zero barrier, have resorted to printing money to shore up their economies, with limited results thus far. With the repo rate at 8 per cent, the RBI still has room to cut. Even after the RBI's 50 basis point cut this week, economists now expect it to be lowered to 7 per cent by June next year instead of 7.5 per cent in the January survey............

Read - The Asian Age

Here’s how borrowers lose when govt orders banks to cut lending rates

……….The RBI has signaled to banks that it will take care of their liquidity needs. It has allowed banks to go below 2 percent of SLR (statutory liquidity ratio) to access standby funds (called MSF, or marginal standing facility) in case of desperate need. Banks are already running excess SLR of 5 percent, giving them a liquidity cushion of around Rs 3,00,000 crore. The natural path for banks to take given rate cuts and given access to liquidity is to reduce deposit rates first. Lower deposit rates will translate to steady to higher profits for banks, as lending rates will remain sticky for a while. Once loans come up for re-pricing, banks will lower loan rates if demand for loans at higher levels is low………………

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Lending rate cuts likely to put pressure on banks' margins

In the wake of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) rate reversal signal, the ongoing and impending reductions in banks’ base rate — the benchmark lending rate to which all loans are linked — may deplete lenders’ margins. Especially those of public sector lenders, which had aggressively raised deposit rates only last month and which they have to service for at least a year. Banks that have cut their base rate after RBI’s move have also reduced deposit rates. However, the benefit of the latter cut would come with a lag; the effect of a loan rate cut would be felt immediately. It is difficult for banks to bring down deposit rates sharply when competing assets, such as small savings offer similar rates.………….

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The MSC bank gets banking license from RBI

PUNE: The Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank received banking license from the Reserve Bank of India on Thursday, 46 years after its establishment in 1966. The MSC bank is the apex co-operative bank of the three tier co-operative banking sector in Maharashtra. It is a major lender for agriculture and agri-business, mainly the sugar industry in the state. The bank is run by an administrator from May 2011, appointed on the advise of the RBI. The bank had to fulfil four conditions related to cash reserve ratio (CRR), statutory liquidity ratio (SLR), capital adequacy ration (CRAR) and net worth.  

ET

RBI to notify proposal allowing airlines to access foreign funds

New Delhi: The government on Thursday said it expects the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to notify the budget announcement of allowing the cash-strapped Indian civil aviation sector to borrow up to $1 billion in external loans for a period of one year within seven days. “RBI is expected to issue a relevant circular or notification giving effect to the aforesaid budget announcement within seven days,” the Finance Ministry said in a statement.……………….

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Banks told to work out policy on lending against gold

The Finance Ministry has asked all public sector banks (PSBs) to come up with a policy for lending against the security of gold. This move comes in the wake of the RBI tightening the noose around gold loan companies............

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South Korea's Woori Bank sets up its first branch in India

South Korea-based Woori Bank, a part of the Woori Financial Group, has launched its first branch in India, at Chennai, to provide assistance to Korean companies in the country in corporate banking and to serve local clients. The Chennai branch would be the head office of Woori Bank in India. The bank, which is the second largest commercial bank in South Korea with its focus on corporate banking, has received in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India in June, 2011, to set up its branch in India. It has already infused around $35 million in India, said a senior executive from Woori Bank.……..

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Why VITALINFO went missing..........

My father-in-law passed away on 18th evening. I wish to regret that VITALINFO could not be published for two days, i.e. on 19th and 20th April 2012.  I received several calls, SMSs, e-mails from many of you expressing the sentiments for missing VITALINFO.  I thank all of you for all the support, guidance and interest shown by you in VITALINFO.  I assure that the VITALINFO will be back from tomorrow, i.e. 21st April 2012.

Thanks n regards 

Subbarao pleases all, including RBI

Reserve Bank of India governor D Subbarao (centre) along with (left to right) Deputy Governors H.R. Khan, K.C. Chakrabarty, Anand Sinha and Subir Gokarn before the announcement of the monerary policy

The higher than expected 50 basis points rate cut has pleased all concerned including the RBI. The government is happy as it believes a rate cut will help push up growth, markets are happy as the rate cut was higher than expected and the RBI is happy as it does not have to act in haste in the next few policy reviews................

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‘RBI should continue to manage public debt'

....The learning from the recent global crisis is that those systems where central bank manages government debt are more effective. When fiscal deficit is as high as it is in India, it is not only about debt management in the conventional sense. It has larger implications for liquidity management and monetary policy transmission. The balance of advantage would lie in the RBI continuing to manage public debt until fiscal deficit comes down to very comfortable levels.......

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Reserve Bank of India brokers thrive 'short-changing'

HYDERABAD: Right outside the highly secured Reserve Bank of India (RBI) office at Saifabad, an illegal business activity has been thriving involving hundreds of unemployed men and women - who have taken up the role of unofficial currency vendors. Charging anywhere between 2% and 10% to exchange higher denomination notes with lower denomination ones, these brokers have monopolized the bank role dispensing change. If there were a handful of such brokers working discreetly about five years ago, it has now become a full-fledged open trading centre with more than 200 vendors jostling for space outside the bank at any given time. Each day, this bunch of brokers exchange an estimated Rs 10 lakh and sometimes even more…………………….

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RBI bats for retail depositors, gets tough on bank NPAs

………. “The main point of the RBI was that deposit rates given to customers must be non-discriminatory, transparent and contestable. This is not micro-management; banks can calibrate deposit rates as they want, whenever they want, but all we were asking for is that they should be non-discriminatory, transparent and contestable.”…………..

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Financial inclusion must be qualitative, not quantitative

The message is loud and clear from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). While bringing more villages within the realm of financial services remains the focus, steps must be taken to improve service quality and increase the number and value of transactions in these areas, the banking regulator said. “Going forward, the focus will be more on the number and value of transactions in no-frills accounts and credit disbursed through information and communication technology-based business correspondent outlets. For this purpose, banks have been advised that financial inclusion plans prepared by their head offices are disaggregated at respective controlling offices and further at branch levels," RBI said in its monetary policy statement for 2012-13, released here on Tuesday............... 

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Final norms on implementation of Basel III by April-end: RBI

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank on Tuesday said it will come out with the final guidelines on implementation of new global risk mechanism, Basel III capital regulations by end of the month……….

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Positive approach to NBFCs needed

....The RBI has promised draft guidelines on a new regulatory framework for non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) by end-June 2012. The NBFCs serve the demand for finance that banks shun. It is common knowledge that banks in India leave a lot on the table. India tops the charts in financial exclusion. The RBI is seen coercing the banks on financial inclusion in the same policy statement. Coercion rarely leads to sustainable development. But sustainable NBFCs can be a powerful vehicle of finance that should be supported by a positive regulatory framework.....

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RBI tightens norms for gold finance

...The Working Group, headed by K U B Rao (a senior RBI official), will conduct a detailed study of the issues connected with rising gold import and loans. The group will submit its report by July-end.
Among other things, it will examine the current practices of NBFCs involved in lending against gold and also whether it is influencing price of precious metal.......

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Gold loan curbs are because of risk concentration: RBI

……..RBI Deputy Governor Anand Sinha said the gold loan NBFCs had expanded in a very rapid manner and that led to underlying risks. “The predominant business for these companies is gold and they are relying on just one product. So there is a lot of concentration risk. What we have tried to do is to bring about some stability through our measures and also take care of customer issues. That is why the fair practice code has also been strengthend.” Sinha said there was no concern on banks’ direct lending against gold because banks were very diversified.………….

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RBI asks banks not to levy pre-payment charges on home loans

Providing relief to home loan borrowers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday asked banks not to levy any penalty on pre-payment of loans taken on floating rate. "Though many banks have, in the recent past, voluntarily abolished the pre-payment penalties on their floating rate home loans, there is a need for ensuring uniformity across the banking system in this regard," RBI said in the annual monetary policy announcement for 2012-13.....

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'Monetary policy is a sentiment booster’

The RBI’s monetary policy for 2012-13 is a sentiment booster, according to an economist. Terming it as a positive surprise, Dr Biswa Swarup Misra, Associate Professor, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, told Business Line that before the policy, the expectations were that it will be a 25 basis points cut or the rates will be kept unchanged. “Now, the RBI has gone for a 50 basis points repo rate cut. If not anything, it will act as a sentiment booster,” he said...........

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‘If Calculations Go Wrong, Remedies will be Different’

RBI Governor Subbarao chats up with ET on rate cut, inflation, current account deficit, customer service and more

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A risky wager

......Central bankers as a breed are not exactly known for their gambling instincts, driven as they are by cold economic numbers in their decision-making. Yet, Reserve Bank of India Governor D. Subbarao has gambled big in deciding to drop policy rates by a larger-than-expected 0.50 percentage points in his Annual Monetary Policy Statement announced Tuesday.........

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RBI's rate cut to arrest worsening asset quality of banks

.....In a bankers' meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday, the RBI Governor said the banks' asset quality continues to be under pressure and they are keeping strict vigil. In February, the two deputy governors - CK Chakrabarty and Anand Sinha - also met close to a dozen bank chairmen to assess the NPA situation. "The banks told us they are more sensitive to the need to manage NPAs than in the past," Subbarao said on Tuesday........

Read - Business Today

RBI's repo rate cut after three years is just a token

........ "The reduction in the repo rate is based on an assessment of growth having slowed below its post-crisis trend rate which, in turn, is contributing to a moderation in core inflation," RBI said in its annual monetary policy statement. "These considerations inherently limit the space for further reduction in policy rates," RBI added...........

Read - Business Today

Credit policy: Are Government, RBI on the same page?

……..However, Governor D Subbarao's policy statement reads more like a warning letter to the government than an effort to stimulate growth. He is clearly not convinced that the government would deliver on promises that it has made on fiscal consolidation or even on supply-side infrastructure that could help curb inflation……..

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Loans to get cheaper as RBI cuts repo rate ‎

The Reserve Bank of India cut repo rates by 0.50 per cent to 8.0 per cent. Repo rate is the rate at which banks borrow money from RBI. This is a reference rate used by banks to lend to their customers like companies and individuals

RBI Monetary Policy: Here is the trailer wait for the movie to hit the screens

On most of the significant policy issues—implementation of Basle III, NBFC regulation, gold loan companies, securitisation guidelines, etc, all that we have in the policy are datelines for policies to be announced by the RBI. There is more in the offing than we have in the policy, reducing the much-awaited policy to be trailer for a movie to hit the screens............

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RBI brings cheer to common man

...........At a time when personal banking has gone mostly impersonal, thanks to the invasion of technology, the RBI has asked banks to offer a “basic savings deposit account” with certain minimum common facilities. This should be done to all customers without insisting on the need for a minimum balance. The RBI has also advised banks to initiate steps to allot unique customer identification code number to all customers. These three indeed are direct-impact initiatives and go a long way in beefing up customer confidence in the banking system...........

Read - The Hindu

We are not ruling out a rate increase - D.Subbarao

.....Textbook economics says central banks take policy decisions based on inflation expectations and not the prevailing level of inflation. You seem to be very hawkish when it comes to inflation expectations and yet you have gone for a deep rate cut. Is there a disconnect?

I don’t believe so. We have looked at inflation numbers and how much they have traversed from their highs. You must remember that we had done our last rate hike in October 2011, when headline inflation was 10% and core inflation was above 8%. We have to recognize that there has been a significant drop both in headline and core inflation numbers, and we also have said that over the last one-and-a-half years, our bias has shifted from inflation towards growth.......

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‘As a central bank, we don't micro manage'

....As a central bank, we do not micro manage. We give a policy rate signal. We increase or reduce CRR and expect banks to response. We are not telling banks that they should behave one way or the other. But it is our expectation that monetary transmission has been effective and will be effective. It may take time but it will translate into lower lending rates......

Read - The Hindu

Limits to efficacy of monetary policy

...What is required is the use of supply management policies such as investments in building suitable infrastructure, focusing on new technology to improve agricultural productivity, better water management to reduce volatility of agricultural output, and, more importantly, policy coordination between the Ministry of Finance and the RBI. ....

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RBI's annual monetary policy review: Proposals & guidelines

.... RBI says the working group chaired by Usha Thorat on regulatory framework for NBFCs to release draft guidelines by end-June, 2012. The group had submitted its report in August, 2011.

RBI says the working group chaired by B Mahapatra to study guidelines on restructuring of advances by banks and financial institutions and is expected to submit report by end-July, 2012. The group, formed in January 2012, will suggest revisions taking into account the best international practices and accounting standards……

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Central bank playing with fire

....The central bank’s other goal in changing monetary policy is to make rates “consistent with the current growth moderation”. But where is the moderation? Not in RBI’s projection. It expects growth to average 7.3% in fiscal 2013. At present (the last data point we have), growth is running at 6.1%. Moving from 6.1% in the fourth quarter of 2011 to an average of 7.3% in fiscal 2013 implies a pretty strong expansion.......

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One- time wonder or more to come?

....." The RBI was clearly itchier to cut policy rates than expected, but the 50 bp cut may have been a bit too premature and aggressive, in our view. If that turns out to be the case, it could hurt RBI's credibility while doing little to raise growth on a sustained basis," .........

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Reactions to RBI policy.........

Behind the positive surprise :A.K.Bhattacharya

 ........ If the government does not reciprocate with necessary policy initiatives to fix the fisc and remove bottlenecks in fresh investments, the monetary policy is not likely to see any further easing. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee could not have missed that signal, even though the RBI governor may have been a little guarded about his comments on the fiscal policy authority. Who knows, Duvvuri Subbarao may have been inspired by an old Sanskrit saying that goes like this: speak what is true, speak what is pleasant, but speak not what is unpleasant even though it might be true.

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Subbu’s subtext: Don’t believe in FM or rate cut, but what to do?

......... But the makeover is unconvincing. Reading between the lines of Tuesday’s policy statement, and the previous day’s macroeconomic review by the Reserve Bank, it seems that Governor Subbarao is unconvinced about the possibility of a genuine moderation in inflation, but has instead persuaded himself to believe that his real problem is to prevent an unwholesome crash in growth......

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RBI cutting rates to boost growth: Montek Singh Ahluwalia

........I read the RBI lowering repo rate as a balanced judgement that yes inflation is matter of concern, but the time has come to change signals ... You cannot wait until it comes down to a very low level. "Policies should be adjusted as things move and that's what I think they (RBI) have done,"...............

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RBI repo rate cut surprising: Fitch

......"The governor also announced that the draft guidelines pursuant to Usha Thorat committee report on regulatory framework for NBFCs would be issued by end June 2012 while the final guidelines on securitisation would be issued by end April, 2012……………

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RBI dons activist hat for consumer cause

...... According to sources, RBI deputy governor Chakrabarty is behind the moves to get banks to be more customer friendly. Earlier in the day, a banker defended differential rates, stating that it was similar to a situation where someone who bought a television two years ago cannot complain if current rates are lower. Chakrabarty, however, refuted this argument in the press conference, stating capital costs cannot be compared with current expenditure. "If you are running a restaurant, you don't charge more for a daily customer and less for a newcomer."............

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Upside risks to inflation, downside to growth persist: RBI

RBI Deputy Governor Subir Gokarn is worried that upside risks to inflation and downside risks to growth persist. The RBI will act proactively on the tricky issue, he said in an interview to CNBC-TV18................

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Growth moderation behind cut

.............The other instruments also have to be flexible. We cannot have a financial system where part of the system responds to RBI’s policy rates and the other is rigid. I don’t know if interest rates will come down on all these products, but I think they should come down. In fact that is one of the recommendations of the Shyamala Gopinath committee on small savings that the interest rates must be calibrated to the 10-year government security.

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Sebi in talks with RBI, Irda for common KYC norms

Aiming to ease procedural hurdles that investors face, market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) today said it was in talks with other regulators, including RBI and Irda, for common know-your-customer norms for the financial sector……

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How RBI Governor D Subbarao moved in withdrawing expansionary policies

Reserve Bank of India Governor Duvvuri Subbarao has come a full circle - probably beginning the second round of easing after taking the tightening cycle to a peak. His policy pronouncement gives little hope that he will be in a hurry to declare the beginning of a loosening cycle. ET tracks how he moved in withdrawing the expansionary policies……………..  

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Remembering R.H. Patil

.....As an economist who worked in the research department of the Reserve Bank of India before going into development banking, he also provided valuable advice to the government on how to deepen the bond market in India, an issue that still demands policy attention. Any modern economy needs an efficient financial sector to ensure that national savings are used in the most efficient enterprises. What Patil did to help improve the Indian capital market should be understood against this background..........

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Use your PAN card carefully

....Waving a PAN (Permanent Account Number) card as a form of identity, when such a document is required with a photograph, has become second nature to many of us. Keeping a laminated copy as a spare, and placing the original in safe-keeping, is the strategy adopted by many. But now, with more and more transactions requiring a copy of a PAN card, or at the very least the number, it appears that the role of this essential piece of plastic, and its consequences, are rapidly changing, in a way and manner not anticipated by the authorities........

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Man held for debit card fraud

.....In the past few months, cases of ATM thefts have increased with fraudulent persons peaking into details of ATM cards while a transaction is being swiped. The RBI has come out with repeated warnings to ensure that secrecy is maintained during ATM transactions.......

Read - Indian Express

PMO asks MCA to look into Sahara co-op society issue

........The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) to look into the matters concerning Sahara Credit Co-operative Society. The MCA, in turn, has asked the registrar of co-op societies, Lucknow, to look into the issue and take an appropriate action. The PMO’s directive comes on the back of a letter written by Mumbai-based investors’ group, Investors and Consumer Guidance Society (ICGS), last year alleging the Sahara Group was mobilising deposits without going through the regulatory rigours of any central agency. The October 2011-letter by ICGS was directed to the prime minister, along with the finance minister, minister for corporate affairs and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor.……………..

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Current account deficit threat to India's financial stability: RBI

The Reserve Bank of India has warned that India's financial stability could be impaired if the current account deficit widens to uncontrollable levels........

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Banks' balance sheets in poor health

........... The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in its Macroeconomic and Monetary Developments report on Monday, said sharp deceleration in economic activities had resulted in poor credit offtake. And, some parameters indicated deteriorating health of banks’ balance sheets. This has made lenders seek refuge in “safer” investment avenues, resulting a “compositional” shift in banks’ asset portfolio in favour of investments in government securities.............

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Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to visit US to attend IMF-World Bank meeting

........... "Issues relating to setting-up of working-cum-experts group for BRICS Bank, Transfer Pricing and Tax Avoidance etc. are likely to be discussed in the BRICS meeting," a finance ministry statement said here ahead of the visit. Besides senior finance ministry officials, Mukherjee will be accompanied by Reserve Bank of India Governor D. Subbarao.................

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FIIs' asked to take RBI approval before buying Bank of Baroda shares

MUMBAI: Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) are being asked to take prior approval for buying Bank of Baroda (BoB) shares even though the current FII holding in the bank is well below the maximum permissible limit.........

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Microfinance Bill faces fresh roadblocks

.....The effort to formulate a national regulation on microfinance began in 2007 but it lapsed due to this lack of consensus. Last year, the government revised the Bill after consultations with microfinance industry officials and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The proposed Microfinance Institutions (Development and Regulation) Bill is expected to supersede all state-level regulations, including the controversial Andhra Pradesh Microfinance Institutions (Regulation of Money Lending) Act, 2010.
The Bill includes a provision that allows MFIs to collect small savings from SHGs known as thrift........

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A cut without conviction?

In many ways, the annual monetary policy for fiscal 2013, to be unveiled on Tuesday, will be one of the toughest for D. Subbarao since he took over as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor in September 2008 in the thick of a global credit crisis.....................

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Et tu, RBI

The government has attracted considerable criticism for making mistakes in the economic data it puts out and, some months ago, Reserve Bank of India Governor D Subbarao alluded to the wide variations between provisional and actual numbers that made monetary policy-making difficult. But the central bank is hardly free of the same problem. The RBI bulletin, a monthly publication, went off track by stating that the outstanding number of credit cards declined by close to 2 million in January over December. An enquiry from this paper revealed that instead of a decline, the number had actually increased by 0.07 million and the mistake was subsequently corrected on the website.

BS

Should we worry?

....RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao made an important point when he said, at the launch of the updated festschrift for Prime Minister Minister Manmohan Singh, the macro situation was nowhere as severe as it was in 1991, a comparison being increasingly made today in policy circles..........

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Rising rural, urban wages aiding inflation: RBI report

"The pressure on generalised inflation from sustained increase in wage costs has been one important characteristic of the recent high inflation episode. Wage increases for unskilled labourers in rural areas continue to be at a rate faster than the comparable rate of inflation," the RBI's annual macroeconomic and monetary developments report said..................

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A rate cut followed by a hike!

.....So, we fear that the April 17 rate cut may well be the last for this year. And come June-July we’ll all be talking about the next rate hike. For India to return to the high-growth and low-inflation environment of the mid-2000s, corporate investment has to revive. Monetary policy didn’t cause its demise and it isn’t its savior. The solution, alas, lies with the government..

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RBI in a tight spot on inflation: Moody's Analytics

The Reserve Bank of India will need further proof that inflation has been tamed before it can start reducing policy rates, according to Moody's Analytics. The growth side of the economy has cooled, but inflation remains elevated, leaving the RBI in a tight spot, Moody's Analytics said in a research note issued after the announcement of India's headline inflation for March. The research firm said that it had always maintained that RBI should have begun lowering rates to shore up the economy's demand side. But it is not so simple for the central bank, which raised rates aggressively in 2010 and 2011 to counter inflation, the note said...........

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RBI should support growth, cut rate: Experts

Q: What is your key takeaway as far as the macro economic report is concerned and its effect on the policy tomorrow?

Rao: The RBI has clearly articulated all the problems as they get more and more intertwined - be it on the external sector in terms of the widening current account gap, the pressure on how to fund it in terms of the capital flow adequacy. For capital flow adequacy you need corporate earnings, which are getting impacted because of input costs and interest burden. The RBI has also articulated adequately on systemic pressures in banking. The future scenario doesn't look too bright in terms of maintaining asset quality………………

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RBI has a tough unenviable job with credit policy: Nilesh Shah

Nilesh Shah of Axis Direct speaks to NDTV Profit ahead of RBI's annual credit policy announcement on Tuesday. He says that the RBI is in a tight corner as the bank had an unenviable job to do with liquidity remaining tight and inflation not easing completely. "I would not like to be in RBI's position. They have a tough job," he said.

'Monetary policy can't address all external risks'

Saying there existed limited room for the monetary policy to manage external sector risks, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday favoured a hike in petroleum product prices and steps to curb demand for precious metals to arrest a widening current account deficit (CAD). Further reforms in policies are a must to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI) or equity in the country, the central bank said in its Macroeconomic and Monetary Developments report released ahead of its annual policy for 2012-13..............

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Deciphering RBI’s actions

........In RBI’s transition from a closed economy credit distributor to a open economy regulator—started by C. Rangarajan in 1992, strengthened by Bimal Jamal and structurally adapted by Y.V. Reddy—D. Subbarao has contributed by changing the style of monetary policy communication. There is no denying the fact that his personal style—participative, democratic and accommodative—has got reflected in the monetary policy management. Last year, setting out his agenda of reaching out, Subbarao emphasized the need of listening to and learning from the “‘wisdom of the crowds’ in reaching a monetary policy judgement”. In explaining the “known knowns” and indicating the “known unknowns”, using the informally formal channels of communications, RBI has become open about its thoughts and intentions. The formal forward guidance, even if short of a commitment, has been getting bolder. The manner in which RBI’s guidance has been worded it really amounts to an assurance...........

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Economists say rate cut not advisable now

....“The inflation figures for March do not seem to be very comforting. Personally, I feel RBI should not cut the interest rates right now. The macro-economic factors still do not favour a rate cut. The saving rate is dropping, the liquidity in the system still remains tight. Thus a rate cut will not help and the rupee will continue to depreciate,”.......

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Central bank still worried about prices

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday cautioned that inflation in Asia’s third largest economy will remain sticky in the current fiscal and chances of any significant moderation are low, even as it expects a modest recovery in growth. On the eve of the central bank’s monetary policy announcement, which is widely expected to see the beginning of the rate-reversal cycle, the report reflected the division among economists, some of whom say inflation is still too clear and present a danger for rates to be cut.
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Banks allowed to run ads on ATM screens

...The notification reads: In exercise of the powers conferred by the Banking Regulation Act, the Central Government hereby specifies “display of financial products conforming to the regulatory framework as provided by the RBI, SEBI, IRDA and PFRDA, on the Automated Teller Machines” as a form of business in which it is lawful for a banking company to engage. Banks can bring down the cost per transaction by generating some revenue through advertisements, say bankers.......

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Banking: The urban bias

.....Despite all talks of inclusive banking of the last decade, figures available from the Reserve Bank of India suggest the opposite trend. Banking continues to be the prerogative of urban and semi-urban elite. ........

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More rejection than redressal

............The 15 banking ombudsmen in the country spend more time rejecting consumer complaints than redressing them. If you look at the annual reports of the Ombudsman Scheme in the last three years brought out by the Reserve Bank of India, you will find that 60-70 per cent of the complaints is rejected by the Ombudsmen. And this percentage is on the increase..................

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Financial exclusion is bad for banks too

....Financial inclusion is good business for banks especially if farmers use their increasingly sophisticated services and products to transact their farm produce. That is why deputy governors of the RBI have variously announced the importance of FI in the RBI's agenda for banks. As part of its platinum jubilee celebration two years ago, the Deputy Governor, Mr K.C. Chakrabarty, spoke on various occasions on television, to print media, about the RBI's three-year plan for including the excluded, for bringing banks to every Indian. Another Deputy Governor, the now retired Ms Usha Thorat, talked of using High Technology for the purpose; financial inclusion became the new currency for banks and New Delhi to trade their policymaking craft in. But all those bent on standing on the right side of FI missed the irony that more than four decades after bank nationalisation, India's formal banking system excluded far more segments than it included. Banking in India despite the pious political rhetoric was still an exclusive domain for the few......

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Usha Thorat address Indian Bank

ET

RBI likely to stop cash against pledged gold

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appears to be moving toward stopping gold loan companies from handing out cash as loans against pledged gold. RBI had earlier put a cap on the extent of loans that can be given against the value of pledged gold. These firms have been giving loans, sometimes worth several lakh, in cash instead of handing cheques or crediting the money to the borrower’s bank account. RBI wants to curb this practice, say analysts tracking public sector banks............

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Pre-mature capital account convertibility can harm economy: RBI

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor D Subbarao has said that India will 'gradually' move towards capital account convertibility only after preconditions like fiscal consolidation are met........

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Those who stick to their dharma…

....So it is with the RBI. The Governor and his team of managers at the top know too well that they are waging a hopeless fight against inflation when they are confronted with a Government that goes about the task of governance in such a manner that renders any monetary policy initiative of the RBI, to contain inflation, utterly ineffective. .......

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Playing it safe

"...if making monetary policy is like driving a car, then the car is one that has an unreliable speedometer, a foggy windshield, and a tendency to respond unpredictably and with a delay to the accelerator or the brake,"...................

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Subbarao's dilemma

....Duvvuri Subbarao's shoes are something that not many may want to be in right now. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor is under tremendous pressure from the government to start the interest rate reduction cycle from Tuesday's policy announcement. Equal pressure, if not more, is being built up by monetary policy hawks who aver that circumstances are still not right to reverse direction on rates....

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Monetary policy dilemma : What is in store?

.......It is clear that RBI is in a catch 22 situation whether to control inflation expectations or stimulate growth. Many analysts are expecting rates to be cut in order to spur growth. However some analysts are of the opinion that the time is not ripe for a rate cut. Given this background, it would be interesting to watch the steps that RBI would take...................

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RBI's cup of many woes

Politics, said that economist-turned-astute-politician Dr Manmohan Singh, is 'the art of the possible'. Politics, yes! But central banking? On the eve of his penultimate annual monetary policy statement, as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor D Subbarao wrestles with the choices before him, chances are he too is veering round to the same view as his Prime Minister. Central banking, like politics, is increasingly becoming the art of the possible..........

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All eyes on Subbarao on interest rate move

HT

Meaningful upside is ruled out

...... At this stage, it is difficult to assume that even if RBI would cut the repo and reverse repo rates, interest rates in the economy would come down meaningfully, given the heavy government borrowing programme. There is certainly going to be a crowding-out effect and this would not let corporates cut their interest cost in a meaningful manner. The government has not taken any initiatives for cost reduction. The only change is the shift of focus towards revenue maximisation. However, in a slow global and domestic growth environment, taxing corporates and individuals would not give the desired results........

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See rate cut on Tuesday, but what can RBI do thereafter?

Rarely has an RBI policy been so keenly awaited by markets, the economy and citizens. For three years inflation seemed never to fall, and for the past three quarters growth appears never to rise. What are the options before the RBI, what will be the impact of its actions given the climbing current account deficit, an entrenched fiscal deficit and an unstable and slowing world economy where central bankers stand ready to flood more cash?............

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All eyes on apex bank rate signal

........“Though the hopes may be rightly placed for a cut in policy rates, entrenched liquidity deficit will make such a rate cut meaningless and may not be transmitted into the system meaningfully,’’.............

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A rate cut can wait

.... The growth-versus-inflation conundrum is likely to haunt RBI governor for sometime at least. It will be interesting to see how steadfastly he will defend his conviction.......

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Signs of RBI rate cut, cheaper home loans

.... D Subbarao, who took charge immediately after the global financial crisis in 2008 has been famous for what he describes as the `baby steps' approach. After an initial monetary stimulus following the crisis, Subbarao sought to fight inflation raising interest rates slowly and consistently by 25 basis points in every review. In December, he announced that the phase of increasing rates was over and any future move will be towards reducing interest rates.......

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Long-distance marriage not a reason for divorce: HC

MUMBAI: If a spouse is on a posting, it cannot be termed desertion and cited as a ground for divorce, the Bombay high court ruled on Friday. A division bench of judges P B Majmudar and Anoop Mohta was hearing an appeal by an income tax officer Satish Mane against a family court order rejecting his divorce plea. Satish (38) married Seema (35) on May 9, 2001, as per Buddhist rites. On June 1 that year, she left for Ahmedabad to resume duty at the Reserve Bank of India, where she was an officer……..

………On Friday, the HC bench observed that just because Seema was posted in Ahmedabad, it could not be a reason for Satish to get a divorce citing desertion. "How can it be desertion? This is an eye-opener. Employers should consider whether ladies (sic) should be transferred," said Justice Majmudar.

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Debating Manmohan's reforms legacy

............. Subbarao directly addressed fears that under Singh, India had come full circle. 2012 was not 1991, he said, although “the twin deficits are here once again”. Short-term debt was high, too; but the structure of the economy had changed fundamentally, and the financial system, he insisted, could absorb shocks. In addition, there are other reasons for optimism: the services sector dominates today, and its performance is a source of resilience; not all of the fiscal deficit is structural; and forex reserves are much larger. Subbarao also addressed external-sector liberalisation, which he viewed as the most far-reaching of Singh’s reforms.........

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Should the RBI have an 'easy' or 'tight' Monetary Policy?

.... The RBI now needs to act via a mix of policy instruments. It has to effect changes in CRR and resort to open-market operations. These changes must affect the quantum of liquidity, and policy rates such as the bank rate and repo rate to influence the price of liquidity. Also the RBI should manage its liquidity adjustment facility on a daily basis to transmit interest rate signals to the market. Given the macroeconomic environment of rising fiscal deficits, slow growth and price instability, the RBI must opt for an aggressive monetary policy to increase liquidity and reduce interest rates......

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Current downturn short-term phenomenon, says RBI Governor

....Describing the current downturn a short-term phenomenon, Reserve Bank of India Governor D. Subbarao on Saturday said Indian economy is mature enough to absorb ‘shocks’ and the country’s growth story is intact. “The structure of the economy has changed (since 1991). Our financial markets are more matured, more diverse and much deeper. They have the resilience to absorb shocks,” he said while participating at a panel discussion on India’s economic reforms and development..............

Read - The Hindu