RBI maintains status quo for 8th time; retains repo rate at 4 pc

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday decided to keep the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4 percent 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 the 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 the benchmark repurchase (repo) rate at 4 percent, Das said while announcing the bi-monthly monetary policy review.

Consequently, the reverse repo rate will also continue to earn 3.35 percent for banks for their deposits kept with RBI.

Das said MPC voted unanimously for keeping the interest rate unchanged and decided to continue with its accommodative stance as long as necessary to support growth and keep inflation within the target.

Amidst rising fuel prices, retail inflation stood at 5.3 percent in August.

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