RBI policy in 2 minutes

Monetary and liquidity measures

• Repo rate kept unchanged at 7.5 per cent
• Cash reserve ratio (CRR) steady at four per cent
• Statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) unchanged at 21.5 per cent
• Bank rate at 8.5 per cent

Macroeconomic parameters

• Consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation moderating to four per cent by August, firming up to reach 5.8 per cent by year-end
• CPI-based inflation targeted at six per cent by January 2016; at four per cent by end of 2017-18
• Economic growth for 2015-16 projected at 7.85 per cent

Regulatory measures

• Mandatory calendar of reviews by banks to be done away with
• Will be replaced with seven critical themes prescribed by P J Nayak Committee
• Banks can invest in long-term bonds issued for infrastructure, affordable housing by other banks
• Banks to move in a time-bound manner to marginal-cost-of-funds-based determination of their base rate
• Guidelines on non-executive directors' remuneration in private banks to be issued
• Allow NBFC-IDF to provide take-out finance for infrastructure projects that have completed one year of operation in public private partnership (PPP) without tripartite agreement
• Limits relating to total indebtedness of borrower revised upwards in MFI sector
• No imposition of countercyclical capital buffers (CCCB) for now

Corporate measures

• Permit Indian companies eligible, to raise external commercial borrowings through issuance of rupee bonds in overseas centres
• Permit Indian exporters and importers to write covered options on the basis of actual contracted forex exposure

Financial markets

• Individuals/retail investors to be provided direct access to primary and secondary market platforms for bonds
• Proposed to allow non-competitive bidding in treasury Bills to individuals
• Create alternate channels of distribution (e-Distribution) for G-secs