RBI retains repo rate at 6.5% for sixth consecutive time

The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday decided to keep policy rate unchanged for the sixth time in a row as it maintains a tight vigil on inflation. The rate increase cycle was paused in April last year after six consecutive rate hikes aggregating to 250 basis points since May 2022. Announcing the bi-monthly monetary policy, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday said the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent. He said MPC will remain watchful of food inflation so that the benefits gained are not frittered away. This is the first bi-monthly policy following presentation of Interim Budget 2024-25 last week. In December, the Consumer Price-based Inflation (CPI) stood at 5.69 per cent. The government has mandated RBI to ensure CPI inflation at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side.