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Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra voted for the status quo in the key interest rate earlier this month, saying the current policy rate was appropriate, given the buoyant economic growth and benign inflation, according to the MPC meeting minutes released on Friday. The Reserve Bank kept the short-term lending rate (repo) unchanged at 5.25 per cent after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held from February 4 to 6. The governor and the other five members of the MPC had voted to keep the repo rate unchanged. According to the minutes, Malhotra argued that India's macroeconomic fundamentals, over the medium-term, including the external sector, remain healthy and robust. "Given the present state of the economy and its outlook -- buoyant growth and benign inflation -- I feel the current policy rate is appropriate. Accordingly, I vote for continuation of the policy repo rate at 5.25 per cent and retain the neutral stance," he said. Deputy Governor Poonam Gupta said that, ...
Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra opined that there is room for a further rate cut and indicated it would be done at an opportune time to have a desirable impact, according to the minutes of the monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting released on Wednesday. The governor, along with five other members of the MPC, had voted for the status quo on the short-term benchmark lending rate at the meeting that concluded on October 1. During the meeting, Malhotra said the benign outlook for headline and core inflation as a result of the downward revision of projections opens up policy space to further support growth. "...even though there is a policy space to further cut the policy rate, I feel this is not the opportune time for the same, as it will not have the desirable impact. "Therefore, I vote to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 5.50 per cent. The intent of policy, nevertheless, is to continue to facilitate growth-enabling conditions," he said. MPC member and RBI Deputy Govern