7 Important Promotional Functions of Reserve Bank of India

Promotional Functions of Reserve Bank of India

Various promotional functions performed by the Reserve Bank of India are given below.

Promotional Functions of RBI
Image: Promotional Functions of RBI

1. Promotion of Banking Habit

The Reserve Bank of India helps in mobilizing the savings of the people for investment. It expanded banking system throughout the nation by setting up of various institutions like UTI, IDBI, IRCI, NABARD etc. Thereby it promoted banking habit among the people.

2. Providing Refinance for Exports

The Reserve Bank of India is providing refinance for export promotion. The Export Credit and Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) and Export Import Bank were established initially by the Reserve Bank of India to finance the foreign trade of India. They finance foreign trade in the form of insurance cover, long-term finance and foreign currency credit. However, they are now functioning separately.

3. Providing Credit to Agriculture

The Reserve Bank of India makes institutional arrangements for rural or agricultural finance. For example, the bank has set up special agricultural credit cells. It has promoted regional rural banks with the help of commercial banks. It has also promoted NABARD.

4. Providing Credit to Small Scale Industrial Unit

Commercial banks lend loans to small-scale industrial units as per the directives issued by the Reserve Bank of India time to time. The Reserve Bank of India encourages commercial banks to render guarantee services also to small-scale industrial sector. The Reserve Bank of India considers advances given to small-scale sector as priority sector advances. It also directed commercial banks to open specialized branches to provide adequate financial and technical assistance to small-scale industrial branches.

5. Providing Indirect finance to Cooperative Sector

The RBI has directed NABARD to give loans to State Cooperative Banks, which in turn lend loans to cooperative sector. Hence, the Reserve Bank of India provides indirect finance to cooperative sector in India.

6. Exercising Control over Monetary and Banking system of the Country

The Reserve Bank of India is vested with enormous and extensive powers regarding supervision and control over commercial banks, cooperative banks and also non-banking institutions receiving deposits. The Banking Regulation Act prescribes extensive requirements as minimum regarding the paid-up capital, reserves, cash reserves and liquid assets.

The operation of the bank, the management, amalgamation, reconstruction and liquidation etc. are thoroughly supervised by the officials of the Reserve Bank of India. Every scheduled bank is required to furnish to the Reserve Bank a weekly statement showing the principal items of its liabilities and assets in India.

7. Making Industrial arrangement for Industrial Finance

The Reserve Bank of India makes institutional arrangement for industrial finance. For instance, it has brought into existence several development banks such as the Industrial Finance Corporation of India, the Industrial Development Bank of India, which provide long-term finance to industries.

Tags:,