RBI Central Board approves Bank's 2026-27 budget, Utkarsh 3.0 strategy framework

According to an RBI press release, the Board's 622nd meeting was held on Friday in Patna. The session was conducted under the chairmanship of RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra.

"The Board assessed the emerging global and domestic economic scenario, including the evolving geopolitical developments and their impact on financial markets, along with associated challenges. The Board approved the Bank's budget for the accounting year 2026-27 and also the Bank's Medium Term Strategy Framework (Utkarsh 3.0) for the period 2026-29," the release said.

The high-level meeting saw the participation of the RBI's top executive leadership and government representatives. In attendance were Deputy Governors T. Rabi Sankar, Swaminathan J., Poonam Gupta, Shirish Chandra Murmu and other Directors of the Central Board - Anuradha Thakur, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs; Revathy Iyer, Sachin Chaturvedi and Ravindra H. Dholakia.

Pertaining to the economic strides, earlier in the month, the RBI announced that multiple state governments have raised a total of Rs 45,960 crore through the auction of State Government Securities (SGS).

Among the participating states, Andhra Pradesh had raised Rs 3,000 crore through three securities with tenors of 13, 15 and 17 years. Arunachal Pradesh had raised Rs 190 crore with a 20-year tenor, while Assam had borrowed Rs 900 crore through a 15-year security. Delhi had raised Rs 1,000 crore via a 10-year security.

Gujarat had raised Rs 2,000 crore through two securities with tenors of seven years and six months, and 11 years, with an additional borrowing option of Rs 500 crore for each. Haryana had issued securities worth Rs 3,000 crore across tenors of four, 12 and 18 years. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir had borrowed Rs 900 crore with a 15-year tenor.

Karnataka is the largest borrower in the auction, raised Rs 10,000 crore through a mix of fresh securities and re-issues. These include re-issuances of the 7.31 per cent Karnataka SGS 2033, 7.38 per cent Karnataka SGS 2034, and 7.48 per cent Karnataka SGS 2037, along with other securities.

Other states participating in the auction include Kerala, which had raised Rs 1,000 crore through a 23-year security, and Madhya Pradesh, which had borrowed Rs 5,800 crore through securities with tenors of 10, 14 and 21 years.

Smaller issuances include Rs 120 crore by Mizoram with a 15-year tenor and Rs 250 crore by Sikkim with a 10-year tenor.

Punjab had raised Rs 2,000 crore through the re-issue of the 7.62 per cent Punjab SGS 2032, originally issued in November 2022. Tamil Nadu had raised Rs 8,000 crore through a combination of fresh issuances and re-issued securities, including the 7.23 per cent Tamil Nadu SGS 2033 and the 7.63 per cent Tamil Nadu SGS 2056.

Additionally, Tripura had borrowed Rs 800 crore through a 15-year security, while Uttar Pradesh had raised Rs 3,500 crore via the re-issue of securities maturing in 2037, 2041 and 2046. West Bengal had raised Rs 3,500 crore through securities with tenors of 18 and 22 years. (ANI)