RBI cuts interest rate by 25 basis points; loan EMIs likely to fall

In a bid to boost sluggish economy before elections, the RBI Thursday cut interest rate by 25 basis points for the second time in as many months, a move that may translate into lower EMIs for home and other loans.

The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), headed by RBI Govenor Shaktikanta Das, cut the repo rate to one-year low of 6 per cent and reverse repo rate to 5.75 per cent on prospects of benign inflation.

While four of the six members voted in favour of the rate cut, two of them were in favour of status quo.

RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya and MPC member Chetan Ghate voted for a status quo in rates. Five of six members voted to keep the stance unchanged at Neutral, while committee member Ravindra Dholakia voted to change the stance to accommodative.

The apex bank cut benchmark interest rate by 0.25 per cent to 6 per cent.

This is also the first back-to-back rate cut since the MPC was formed in late 2016.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the monetary policy statement said the domestic economy is facing headwinds, especially on the global front, as it lowered its economic growth forecast for 2019-20 to 7.2 per cent from 7.4 per cent estimated in February.

GDP growth had fallen to 6.6 per cent in December quarter, its slowest in five quarters, due to sluggish private investment.

"The need is to strengthen domestic growth impulses by spurring private investment which has remained sluggish," it said. "The MPC notes that the output gap remains negative and the domestic economy is facing headwinds, especially on the global front."