RBI keeps benchmark interest rate unchanged at 5.15%

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India, for the second straight time, on Thursday kept its key policy rate unchanged at 5.15 percent, maintaining its accommodative policy stance as long as it was necessary to revive growth.

The central bank retained GDP growth at 5 percent for 2019-20 and pegged it at 6 percent for the next fiscal.

“Economic activity remains subdued and the few indicators that have moved up recently are yet to gain traction in a more broad-based manner. Given the evolving growth-inflation dynamics, the MPC felt it appropriate to maintain status quo,” the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) said.

The six-member committee voted unanimously to hold rates, but also said that there is “policy space available for further action”.

Between February and October 2019, the RBI had reduced repo rate by 135 basis points.