A woman may be RBI top brass soon, hopes Pranab

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today exuded hope that a woman would soon occupy the coveted post of the RBI Governor, so far a male domain.

"Up to now, no lady has become the Governor of RBI and I hope soon it will be changed," Mukherjee said addressing a select gathering on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) here today.

He said the apex bank has occupied a pivotal position in the institutional fabric of the nation's economy playing a key role in its development and the RBI governors have contributed significantly to it.

"The RBI has also been particularly fortunate to have distinguished personalities at its helm all these years who saved, formed and steered the bank's culture and contributed significantly to our financial policy making," he said.

Earlier, President Pratibha Patil, the first woman to occupy the nation's highest job, released a commemorative stamp to mark the completion of 75 years of the central bank, set up in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s, and which started functioning on April 1, 1935.

Commending the Reserve Bank’s role in battling the recent financial crisis, Mukherjee said by responding to the evolving situation (global economic crisis) quickly, effectively and responsibly, the apex bank helped the country in mitigating the impact of the crisis.