Development Role of Rbi free essay sample

This role is, perhaps, the most unheralded aspect of our activities, yet it remains among the most critical. The Reserve Bank is one of the few central banks that has taken an active and direct role in supporting developmental activities in their country. The Reserve Bank’s developmental role includes -ensuring credit to productive sectors of the economy, -creating institutions to build financial infrastructure, -expanding access to affordable financial services, and promoting financial education and literacy. Over the years, its developmental role has extended to institution building for facilitating the availability of diversified financial services within the country. The Reserve Bank today also plays an active role in encouraging efficient customer service throughout the banking industry, as well as extension of banking service to all, through the thrust on financial inclusion. Rural Credit Given the predominantly agrarian character of the Indian economy, the Reserve Bank’s role has been to ensure timely and adequate credit to the agricultural sector and other economic activities in rural area at affordable cost. We will write a custom essay sample on Development Role of Rbi or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Section 54 of the RBI Act, 1934 states that: the Bank may maintain expert staff to study various aspects of rural credit and development and in particular, it may:- (a)tender expert guidance and assistance to the National Bank (NABARD) and (b) conduct special studies in such areas as it may consider necessary to do so for promoting integrated rural development Priority Sector Lending The guiding principle of the revised guidelines on lending to priority sector has been to ensure adequate flow of bank credit to those sectors of the society/economy that impact large segments of the population and weaker sections, and to the sectors which are employment-intensive, such as, agriculture and micro and small enterprises(MSE). The broad categories of advances under priority sector now include agriculture, micro and small enterprises sector, microcredit, education and housing. Lead Bank Scheme (LBS) (December 2009) Here designated banks were made key instruments for local development and were entrusted with the responsibility of identifying growth centres, assessing deposit potential and credit gaps and evolving a coordinated approach for credit deployment in each district, in concert with other banks and other agencies. The Reserve Bank has assigned a Lead District Manager for each district who acts as a catalytic force for promoting financial inclusion and smooth working between government and banks. The LBS has largely achieved its original objective of bringing about overall improvements in branch expansion, -mobilisation of deposits and lending(credit planning) to the priority sectors, especially in rural/semi urban areas, Achieving 100 per cent financial inclusion, -strengthening the microfinance and cooperative sector, and -liberating the rural masses from the debt-trap. Special Agricultural Credit Plan/ Agricultural Credit With a view to augmenting the flow of credit to agriculture, Special Agricultural Credit Plan (SACP) was instituted and has been in operation for quite some time now. Under the SACP, banks are required to fix self-set targets showing an increase of about 30 per cent over previous year’s disbursements on yearly basis (April – March). The public sector banks have been formulating SACP since 1994. The scheme has been extended to Private Sector banks as well from the year 2005-06. Objective: To provide direct finance to small and marginal farmers. Banks were allowed to waive margin/security requirements for agricultural loans up to Rs. 50,000 and, in the case of agribusiness and agri-clinics, for loans up to Rs. 5 lakh. Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) (1998-99) Union Finance Minister announced in his budget speech for 1998-99 that NABARD would formulate a Model scheme for issue of KCC to farmers, on the basis of their land holdings, for uniform adoption by banks, so that the farmers may use them to readily purchase agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, etc. and also draw cash for their production needs. The KCC Scheme was introduced to enable the farmers to purchase agricultural inputs and draw cash for their production needs. On revision of the KCC Scheme by NABARD in 2004, the scheme now covers term credit as well as working capital for agriculture and allied activities and a reasonable component for consumption needs. KCC Scheme aims at providing need based and timely credit support to the eligible farmers for their cultivation needs as well as non-farm activities at cost effective manner. Natural Calamities – Relief Measures In order to provide relief to bank borrowers in times of natural calamities, the Reserve Bank has issued standing guidelines to banks. The relief measures include, among other things, rescheduling / conversion of short-term loans into term loans; fresh loans; relaxed security and margin norms; treatment of converted/rescheduled agriculture loans as ‘current dues’; non-compounding of interest in respect of loans converted / rescheduled; and moratorium of at least one year. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development(MSMED), 2006 includes micro, small and medium enterprise in relation to manufacturing or production and service industry. Some of the major measures by RBI/ GOI to improve the credit flow to the MSE sector are as under: Collateral Free Loans: Reserve Bank has issued instructions/guidelines advising banks to sanction collateral free loans up to Rs. 5 lakh to the MSE borrowers. Further, banks have also been advised to lend collateral free loans up to Rs. 25 lakh, based on good track record and financial position of the units. Credit Guarantee Scheme(CGS) for Small Industries by SIDB: The main objective of the (CGS) for MSEs is to make available bank credit to first generation entrepreneurs for setting up their MSE units without the hassles of collateral/third party guarantee. The Scheme envisages that the lender availing guarantee facility would give composite credit so that the borrowers obtain both term loan and working capital facilities from a single agency. The Trust at present is providing guarantee to collateral free loans up to Rs. 1 crore under the scheme. Specialised MSE Branch in every District: Public sector banks were advised in August 2005 to operationalise at least one specialised MSE branch in every district and centre having a cluster of MSE enterprises. At the end of March 2009, 869 specialised MSE bank branches were operationalised by banks. Formulation of â€Å"Banking Code for MSE Customers†: The Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI) has formulated a voluntary Code of Bank’s Commitment to Micro and Small Enterprises and has set minimum standards of banking practices for banks to follow when they are dealing with MSEs. Working Group on Rehabilitation/Nursing of Potentially Viable Sick SME Units: Detailed guidelines have been issued to banks advising them to evolve Board approved policies for the MSE sector relating to: (i) Loan policy governing extension of credit facilities. (ii) Restructuring / Rehabilitation policy for revival of potentially viable sick units / enterprises. (iii) Non-discretionary one time settlement scheme for recovery of non-performing loans. Institutions established by RBI 1962 Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), to provide protection to bank depositors and guarantee cover to credit facilities extended to certain categories of small borrowers. 1964Unit Trust Of India(UTI), first Mutual fund of India