List of governors of the Reserve Bank of India
Governor of the Reserve Bank of India | |
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Bhāratīya Rija़rva Baiṁka kē Gavarnara | |
![]() Seal of the Reserve Bank of India | |
since 12 December 2018 | |
Appointer | Government of India |
Term length | 3 years (extendable) |
Constituting instrument | Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 |
Inaugural holder | Sir Osborne Smith |
Formation | 1 April 1935 |
Deputy | Deputy Governor |
Salary | ₹ 2,50,000 |
Website | rbi |
The governor of the Reserve Bank of India (ISO: Bhāratīya Rija़rva Baiṁka kē Gavarnara) is the chief executive officer of India's central bank and the ex-officio chair of its Central Board of Directors. Initially it was below the cabinet secretary rank but currently it an equivalent rank to cabinet secretary. Indian Rupee currency notes, issued by the Reserve Bank of India, bear the governor's signature. Since its establishment in 1935 by the government of India, the RBI has been headed by twenty-five governors. The governor of the Reserve Bank of India is a member of the Strategic Policy Group headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. It is a crucial wing of the National Security Council.[clarification needed]
The term of office typically runs for three years and can, in some cases,[vague] be extended for another two years.
The inaugural officeholder was the British banker Sir Osborne Smith, while Sir C. D. Deshmukh was the first native Indian governor. Holding office for over seven years, Sir Benegal Rama Rau was the longest-serving governor, while Amitav Ghosh's 20-day term is the shortest. The bank's fifteenth governor, Dr Manmohan Singh, later became India's thirteenth prime minister. Shaktikanta Das is the twenty-fifth governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 12 December 2018.
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Sir C. D. Deshmukh was the first Indian to serve as the governor and the first governor of independent India.
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Sir Benegal Rama Rau was the longest serving governor.
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Manmohan Singh, the fifteenth governor, later served as the thirteenth prime minister of India
List of governors
[edit]No. | Governor | Term[1] | Length of tenure | Notes[1] | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Sir Osborne Smith |
1 April 1935 — 30 June 1937 |
2 years, 90 days | Smith was a British banker who served as the managing governor of the Imperial Bank of India prior to becoming the governor. He resigned the governorship before the completion of the term. | [2] |
2 | Sir James Braid Taylor | 1 July 1937 — 17 February 1943 |
5 years, 231 days | Taylor was an ICS officer who served as the controller of the currency and the deputy governor of RBI before becoming the governor. His stewardship saw the Bank through the war years and decisive break away from a silver currency to fiat money. He died while in office. | [3] |
3 | Sir C. D. Deshmukh | 11 August 1943 — 30 June 1949 |
5 years, 323 days | Deshmukh was an ICS officer who served as the deputy governor of RBI prior to becoming the governor. He was the first Indian to serve as the governor. His governorship oversaw the partition of India as the subsequent division of assets and liabilities between India and Pakistan. | |
4 | Sir Benegal Rama Rau | 1 July 1949 — 14 January 1957 |
7 years, 197 days | Rau was an ICS officer who served as the Indian ambassador to the United States prior to becoming the governor. He resigned the governorship before the completion of his second extended term. | |
5 | K. G. Ambegaonkar | 14 January 1957 — 28 February 1957 |
45 days | Ambegaokar was an ICS officer who served as the Finance Secretary prior to becoming the deputy governor of RBI. He was appointed as the interim governor upon the resignation of Benegal Rama Rau. | |
6 | H. V. R. Iengar | 1 March 1957 — 28 February 1962 |
4 years, 364 days | Iyengar was an ICS officer who served as the chairman of the State Bank of India prior to becoming the governor. Indian coinage was shifted from earlier systems to decimal coinage during his governorship. | |
7 | P. C. Bhattacharya | 1 March 1962 — 30 June 1967 |
5 years, 121 days | Bhattacharya was an IA&AS officer who served as the chairman of the State Bank of India prior to becoming the governor. | |
8 | Lakshmi Kant Jha | 1 July 1967 — 3 May 1970 |
2 years, 306 days | Jha was an ICS officer who served as the secretary to the prime minister prior to becoming the governor. He left the office upon his appointment as the Indian ambassador to the United States. | |
9 | B. N. Adarkar | 4 May 1970 — 15 June 1970 |
42 days | Adarkar was an economist who served as the economic advisor to the government prior to becoming the deputy governor of RBI. He was appointed as the interim governor. | |
10 | Sarukkai Jagannathan | 16 June 1970 — 19 May 1975 |
4 years, 337 days | Jagannathan was an ICS officer who served as India's executive director of the World Bank prior to becoming the governor. He resigned from the office to become India's executive director of the IMF. | |
11 | N. C. Sen Gupta | 19 May 1975 — 19 August 1975 |
92 days | Gupta served as the secretary to the Department of Banking, Ministry of Finance prior to becoming the interim governor. | |
12 | K. R. Puri | 20 August 1975 — 2 May 1977 |
1 year, 255 days | Puri served as the chairman of the Life Insurance Corporation prior to becoming the governor. His governorship oversaw the formation of various regional rural banks. | |
13 | M. Narasimham | 3 May 1977 — 30 November 1977 |
211 days | Narasimham was a RBI research officer who served as an additional Secretary to the Department of Economic Affairs prior to becoming the governor. | |
14 | I. G. Patel | 1 December 1977 — 15 September 1982 |
4 years, 288 days | Patel was an economist who served as a secretary in the Ministry of Finance prior to becoming the governor. His governorship oversaw the demonetization of ₹5,000 and ₹10,000 value currency.[4] | |
15 | Manmohan Singh | 16 September 1982 — 14 January 1985 |
2 years, 120 days | Singh is an economist who served as the Finance Secretary prior to becoming the governor. His governorship oversaw various legal reforms related to banking. He went on to become the Prime Minister of India. | |
16 | Amitav Ghosh | 15 January 1985 — 4 February 1985 |
20 days | Ghosh was the deputy governor of RBI who was appointed as the interim governor until R. N. Malhotra assumed the office. | |
17 | R. N. Malhotra | 4 February 1985 — 22 December 1990 |
5 years, 321 days | Malhotra was an IAS officer who served as executive director of the IMF prior to becoming the governor. His governorship oversaw the inauguration of Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research. | |
18 | S. Venkitaramanan | 22 December 1990 — 21 December 1992 |
1 year, 365 days | Venkitaramanan was an IAS officer who served as the Finance Secretary prior to becoming the governor. India adopted IMF's stabilization program during his governorship. | |
19 | C. Rangarajan | 22 December 1992 — 21 November 1997 |
4 years, 334 days | Rangarajan is an economist who served as the deputy governor of RBI prior to becoming the governor. His governorship oversaw the establishment of unified exchange rate. | |
20 | Bimal Jalan | 22 November 1997 — 6 September 2003 |
5 years, 288 days | Jalan is an economist who served at various positions including Chief Economic Advisor to the government and later as the Finance Secretary, prior to becoming the governor. His governorship oversaw less inflation and interest rates. | |
21 | Y. V. Reddy | 6 September 2003 — 5 September 2008 |
4 years, 365 days | Reddy is an IAS officer who served as the deputy governor of RBI prior to becoming the governor. During his governorship, he contributed in the financial sector reforms and external commercial borrowings. | |
22 | D. Subbarao | 5 September 2008 — 4 September 2013 |
4 years, 364 days | Subbarao is an IAS officer who served as the Finance Secretary prior to becoming the governor. He wrote on various issues including decentralization and public finance. | |
23 | Raghuram Rajan | 4 September 2013 — 4 September 2016 |
3 years, 0 days | Rajan is an economist who served as the Chief Economic Advisor to the government and the Chief Economist of IMF prior to becoming the governor. | |
24 | Urjit Patel | 4 September 2016 — 10 December 2018 |
2 years, 98 days | Patel is an economist who worked with the IMF and the central government. He served as the deputy governor of RBI prior to becoming the governor. His governorship oversaw the demonetization of ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes. He later resigned citing personal reasons. | [5][6][7] |
25 | Shaktikanta Das | 12 December 2018 — Incumbent |
5 years, 251 days | Das was an IAS officer who served as the Revenue Secretary and later Economic Affairs Secretary. He served as a Member of the 15th Finance Commission prior to becoming the governor. | [8][9][10][11] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Governors". Reserve Bank of India. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Dadabhoy, Bakhtiar K. (2013). Barons of Banking: Glimpses of Indian Banking History. Noida: Random House India. p. 20. ISBN 978-81-8400-476-2.
- ^ Saha, Siddhartha Sankar (2013). Indian Financial Systems and Markets. New Delhi: McGraw-Hill. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-259-00500-8.
- ^ "In 1946 and 1978, India had demonetised Rs 5,000, 10,000 notes". Deccan Chronicle. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ "Urjit Patel Resigns - Here are the reasons". Economic Times. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ "Urjit Patel appointed Deputy Governor".
- ^ "Rs 500, Rs 1000 currency notes stand abolished from midnight: PM Modi", The Indian Express, 9 November 2016
- ^ Prasad, Gireesh Chandra; Ghosh, Shayan; Gopakumar, Gopika (11 December 2018). "Shaktikanta Das, Who Oversaw Demonetization, Is New RBI Governor". Livemint. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "N.K. Singh heads 15th Finance Commission, Shaktikanta Das a member". Business Standard. New Delhi. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Shaktikanta Das appointed Economic Affairs Secretary; Hasmukh Adhia is new Revenue Secretary". The Economic Times. New Delhi. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Shaktikanta Das appointed as Revenue Secretary". Business Standard. New Delhi. Press Trust of India. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
External links
[edit]Media related to Reserve Bank of India at Wikimedia Commons