Reserve Bank of India – Bulletin Weekly Statistical Supplement – Extract
Distilled Policy Brief
- The Reserve Bank of India's Weekly Statistical Supplement provides critical data on monetary aggregates, foreign exchange reserves, scheduled commercial bank business, and liquidity operations. As per the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025, the reporting definition of a financial fortnight has been formally revised from alternate Fridays to the 15th and last calendar day of a month. Broad money (M3) growth and aggregate deposit trends serve as foundational indicators for macro-prudential surveillance and monetary policy transmission.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
As per the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025, the definition of a fortnight for banking statistical reporting has been revised from alternate Fridays to the 15th and last calendar day of a month effective December 15, 2025.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
Analysis of RBI weekly statistical data enables evaluation of monetary transmission mechanisms, banking sector credit off-take, and liquidity management via instruments like the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) and Standing Deposit Facility (SDF).
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
With reference to the reporting of monetary and banking statistics in India, consider the following statements regarding the changes introduced by the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025: 1. It formally revised the reporting definition of a financial fortnight from alternate Fridays to the 15th and last calendar day of a month. 2. Foreign exchange reserves published in the Reserve Bank of India's Weekly Statistical Supplement explicitly include the RBI's contribution to the funding of Nexus Global Payments within its Foreign Currency Assets component. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- [A] 1 only
- [B] 2 only
- [C] Both 1 and 2
- [D] Neither 1 nor 2
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
Statement 1 is correct because, as per the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025, the reporting definition of a financial fortnight was formally revised from alternate Fridays to the 15th and last calendar day of a month. Statement 2 is incorrect because Foreign Currency Assets explicitly exclude the RBI’s contribution to the funding of Nexus Global Payments (along with SDR holdings of the RBI, investments in bonds issued by IIFC (UK), and amounts lent under SAARC and ACU currency swap arrangements).
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.