With an aim to drain out excess liquidity from the banking system, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised the cash reserve ratio in an incremental 10 per cent in proportion to banks’ liquidity. This move will suck out over Rs 1 lakh crore from the system. According to latest data, at Rs 2.48 lakh crore, the surplus liquidity in the system in August was at a 14 month high - the highest since June 2022.
Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das has said the move, announced along with the bi-monthly policy review, was the best option under the current circumstances and there is enough liquidity in the system for the banks to continue their lending operations. Das said ‘We will have to go beyond Arjuna’s eyes and act quickly if the spiraling vegetable prices become more widespread and become generalized, forcing us to deploy any appropriate tool under our command to tame it and that it may not just be a rate hike, but any tool under our command will be deployed’.
The Governor further noted that ‘the job on inflation is still not done. Inflationary risks persist amidst volatile international food and energy prices, lingering geopolitical tensions and weather-related uncertainties.’ He said one of the reasons for the spike in liquidity is due to the fact that over 90 per cent of the Rs 3.6 lakh crore of the Rs 2,000 banknotes withdrawn on May 19, have come back to banks.
He assured that the public won’t face any crunch as they prepare for the long festive season nor will the system and industry face any liquidity issue to pay the advance tax (September 15) or GST (September 20). He added ‘We have done our internal assessment which showed that there will still be adequate liquidity left with the banking system’.
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