Tuesday, 3 March 2015

3-Mar


Monetary Policy Framework Agreement

1)      Objectives :

a)      Maintain price stability with a focus on growth

b)      Subdue India's chronic price volatility

2)      The Centre and the RBI signed an agreement under which the central bank will prioritise controlling price rise above the other objectives of the monetary policy — interest rates and the foreign exchange rate.

3)      The Reserve Bank is committed to bring inflation below 6 per cent by January 2016.

4)      The consumer inflation target has been set at 4 per cent, with a band of plus or minus 2 percentage points, for the financial year 2016-17.

5)      The bank will have to explain to the government the causes, and what steps it intends to take to steer inflation back within a given time if it misses the target.

6)      In case, factors beyond the control of the Reserve Bank such as fiscal irresponsibility of the Centre or constraints in supplies of goods and services are stoking inflation, RBI could hike interest rates to meet the target set.

7)      The Centre would amend the RBI Act for the setting up of the proposed monetary policy committee, a key element of the new framework.

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10-fold scaling up of Direct Benefit Transfer

1)      As a key expenditure control measure, the Union Budget 2015-16 proposes a 10-fold scaling up of direct benefit transfers (DBT) during the next financial year.

2)      The move is expected to lead to :

a)      accurate targeting of beneficiaries

b)      de-duplication, reduction of fraud

c)      elimination of waste and leakage in public programmes and schemes

3)      The total number of beneficiaries under 35 DBT schemes will grow from one crore to 10 crore.

4)      Cash transfers and benefits of about Rs 33,000 crore will flow every year to their bank accounts on the DBT platform.

5)      The platform could also be adopted for making payment to bank accounts of the 39 lakh para-workers, including ASHAs and para-teachers, who now get monthly stipends in cash.

6)      Seven new scholarship schemes of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, are being brought on to the DBT platform.

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