RBI maintains status quo for eighth time; retains repo rate at four per cent

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday decided to keep benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4 per cent but maintained an accommodative stance even as the economy is showing signs of recovery after the second COVID wave.

This is the eighth time in a row that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has maintained status quo. RBI had last revised its policy repo rate or the short-term lending rate on May 22, 2020, in an off-policy cycle to perk up demand by cutting interest rate to a historic low.

MPC decided to keep benchmark repurchase (repo) rate at 4 per cent, Das said while announcing the bi-monthly monetary policy review. Consequently, the reverse repo rate will also continue to earn 3.35 per cent for banks for their deposits kept with RBI.

Das said MPC voted unanimously for keeping interest rate unchanged and decided to continue with its accommodative stance as long as necessary to support growth and keep inflation within the target. Amidt rising fuel prices, the retail inflation stood at 5.3 per cent in August.

MPC has been given the mandate to maintain annual inflation at 4 per cent until March 31, 2026, with an upper tolerance of 6 per cent and a lower tolerance of 2 per cent.