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RBI maintains key rates, but eases liquidity (Third Lead)

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Mumbai, Oct 4 (IANS) Rising inflationary pressure and concerns over “fiscal slippage” prompted India’s central bank, the RBI, on Wednesday to maintain its key lending rates.

However, the central bank eased liquidity constraints, and also lowered the country’s growth projection due to implementation of the Goods & Services Tax and loss of consumer and business confidence.

According to the Reserve Bank of India’s fourth bi-monthly monetary policy review of 2017-18, the repurchase rate, or the short-term lending rate for commercial banks on loans taken from it, has been maintained at 6 per cent.

Consequent to the decision to maintain the repo rate, the reverse repo rate remained at 5.75 per cent.

“The decision of the MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) is consistent with a neutral stance of monetary policy in consonance with the objective of achieving the medium-term target for Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation of 4 per cent… while supporting growth,” the fourth bi-monthly monetary policy statement said.

The decision was taken by the six-member MPC headed by RBI Governor Urjit R. Patel. Five members of the panel voted in favour of maintaining the key lending rate.

The six-member MPC is equally divided amongst government nominees and the RBI.

At its last policy review in August, the central bank had reduced its repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 6 per cent from 6.25 per cent.

“The MPC observed that CPI inflation has risen by around two percentage points since its last meeting… Such juxtaposition of risks to inflation needs to be carefully managed. Although the domestic food price outlook remains largely stable, generalised momentum is building in prices of items excluding food, especially emanating from crude oil. The possibility of fiscal slippages may add to this momentum in the future,” the statement said.

“The MPC also acknowledged the likelihood of the output gap widening, but requires more data to better ascertain the transient versus sustained headwinds in the recent growth prints. Accordingly, the MPC decided to keep the policy rate unchanged. The MPC also decided to keep the policy stance neutral and monitor incoming data closely. The MPC remains committed to keeping headline inflation close to 4 per cent on a durable basis.”

However, to induce liquidity into the system, the RBI reduced the Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) — a reserve requirement that commercial banks must maintain — by 50 basis points to 19.5 per cent from October 15.

Further, RBI lowered the country’s growth projection for 2017-18, pegging the Gross Value Added (GVA) at 6.7 per cent.

The central bank had earlier estimated India’s GVA in 2017-18 to grow at 7.3 per cent.

Taking into account various factors during the fiscal, the RBI said: “The projection of real GVA growth for 2017-18 has been revised down to 6.7 per cent from the August 2017 projection of 7.3 per cent, with risks evenly balanced.”

The equity markets, which had already discounted any further reduction in key lending rates, made substantial gains as RBI reduced the SLR which created healthy demand for the banking stocks.

The key indices also rose on the back of positive global cues and value buying.

The wider Nifty50 of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) rose by 55.40 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 9,914.90 points.

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 31,522.17 points, closed at 31,671.71 points — up 174.33 points, or 0.55 per cent.

The S&P BSE banking index rose by 0.17 per cent to close at 27,126.98 points.

Kotak Mahindra Bank closed higher by 2.16 per cent, followed by Yes Bank (up 1.55 per cent), State Bank of India (up 0.82 per cent), Punjab National Bank (up 0.39 per cent) and IndusInd Bank (up 0.37 per cent).

On the other hand, ICICI Bank (down 0.88 per cent), HDFC Bank (down 0.66 per cent) and Axis Bank (down 0.63 per cent) were losers on the BSE.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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