PM addresses RBI@90 opening ceremony

Narendra Modi addressed the opening ceremony of RBI@90, a program marking 90 years of the Reserve Bank of India, in Mumbai, Maharashtra today. Shri Modi also released a commemorative coin to mark 90 years of RBI. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) commenced its operations on the 1st of April in 1935 and enters its 90th year today.

Addressing the occasion, the Prime Minister said that the Reserve Bank of India has reached a historic landmark today completing 90 years of existence. He underlined that the RBI has witnessed both the pre and post-independence eras and it has created an identity around the world based on its professionalism and commitment. The Prime Minister congratulated all staff on the completion of 90 years of the RBI. Deeming the present RBI staff as fortunate, the Prime Minister said that the policies drafted today will shape the next decade of RBI and noted that the next 10 years will take RBI to its centenary year. “The next decade is extremely important for the resolutions of a Viksit Bharat”, PM Modi said, highlighting the RBI’s priority towards fast-paced growth and focus on trust and stability. The Prime Minister also conveyed his best wishes for the fulfilment of its goals and resolutions.

Emphasizing the importance of coordination of monetary and fiscal policies in the GDP and the economy of the country, the Prime Minister recalled the 80-year celebration of RBI in 2014 and remembered the challenges and problems like NPA and stability faced by the banking system of the country at that time. He said that starting from there, today we have reached a point where the Indian banking system is being seen as a strong and sustainable banking system of the world as the near moribund banking system of that time is now in profit and showing record credit.

The Prime Minister credited clarity of policy, intentions and decisions for this transformation. “Where intentions are right, results too are correct”, said the Prime Minister. Speaking on the comprehensive nature of reforms, the Prime Minister stated that the government worked on the strategy of recognition, resolution and recapitalization. A capital infusion of 3.5 lakh crore was undertaken for the helping public sector banks along with many governance-related reforms. Just the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code has resolved loans amounting to 3.25 lakh rupees, the Prime Minister pointed out. He also informed the country that more than 27,000 applications involving underlying defaults of more than Rs 9 lakh crore were resolved even before admission under IBC. Gross NPAs of banks that stood at 11.25 percent in 2018 came down to below 3 percent by September 2023. He said that the problem of twin balance sheets is a problem of the past. PM Modi complimented RBI for their contribution to this transformation.