As announced in the Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies in the first Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement for 2021-2022 dated April 07, 2021, the Reserve Bank of India has constructed a composite Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index) to capture the extent of financial inclusion across the country. The FI-Index has been conceptualised as a comprehensive index incorporating details of banking, investments, insurance, postal as well as the pension sector in

As the financial year 2020-21 – the year of the pandemic – was drawing to a close, the Indian economy was advantageously poised, relative to peers. India was at the foothills of a strong recovery, having regained positive growth, but more importantly, having flattened the infections curve. In a few weeks since then, the situation has altered drastically. Today, India is fighting a ferocious rise in infections and mortalities. New mutant strains have emerged, causing s

Reserve Bank of India has comprehensively reviewed the Priority Sector Lending (PSL) Guidelines to align it with emerging national priorities and bring sharper focus on inclusive development, after having wide ranging discussions with all stakeholders. Revised PSL guidelines will enable better credit penetration to credit deficient areas; increase the lending to small and marginal farmers and weaker sections; boost credit to renewable energy, and health infrastructure

Financial inclusion is increasingly being recognised as a key driver of economic growth and poverty alleviation world over. Access to formal finance can boost job creation, reduce vulnerability to economic shocks and increase investments in human capital. Seven of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of 2030 view financial inclusion as a key enabler for achieving sustainable development worldwide. To achieve the above objectives in a coordinated and

The Reserve Bank of India had announced the constitution of the Internal Working Group (IWG) to Review Agricultural Credit in its Statement on Development and Regulatory Policies dated February 07, 2019 during the Sixth Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Review, 2018-19. The scope of the review inter alia, included the following: Credit reach: institutional credit, measures and factors/drivers that influence reach Cost effective and inclusive system: ease of credit and inclus

The Financial Literacy Week is an initiative of RBI to promote awareness on key topics every year through a focused campaign. Financial Literacy Week 2019 will be observed from June 3-7 on the theme of “Farmers” and how they benefit by being a part of the formal banking system. Growth in agriculture is necessary for the overall economic growth & finance is an essential enabler for the same. RBI is actively involved in formulating policies that enhance the flow of

The Reserve Bank of India hosted the Seventeenth C.D. Deshmukh Memorial Lecture on April 25, 2019 in Mumbai. The lecture was delivered by Mr. Agustín Carstens, General Manager, Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Governor Shri Shaktikanta Das in his opening remarks, welcomed the guests and highlighted the significance of the Lecture series, instituted by the Reserve Bank in the memory of Shri C.D. Deshmukh, the first Indian Governor of the Reserve Bank of India,

As you are aware the Reserve Bank has constituted an ‘Expert Committee on Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)’ to understand the structural bottlenecks and factors affecting the performance of the sector. The details regarding the constitution and terms of reference of the Committee is available at /en/web/rbi/-/press-releases/rbi-constitutes-expert-committee-on-micro-small-amp-medium-enterprises-msmes-45898. The Committee is undertaking a comprehensive revi

The National Centre for Financial Education (NCFE) was setup in 2013 with support from all the financial sector regulators i.e., RBI, SEBI, IRDAI and PFRDA for implementation of the National Strategy for Financial Education (NSFE). It functions under the aegis of the Technical Group on Financial Inclusion and Financial Literacy (TGFIFL) of the sub-committee of the FSDC (Financial Stability and Development Council). NCFE is now a section 8 (Not for Profit) Company, inc

The Kisan Credit Card Scheme aims at providing adequate and timely credit support from the banking system under a single window with flexible and simplified procedure to the farmers for short term crop loans. In order to extend the operational flexibility to farmers engaged in Animal Husbandry and Fisheries the Government of India had announced their decision to extend the facilities of KCC to these farmers in the Budget 2018-19. The matter has been examined and in co