RBI Governors List of India
The RBI, or Reserve Bank of India, is India’s central bank. Its core purpose, as outlined in its preamble, is to regulate the issuance of banknotes and maintain reserves to ensure monetary stability within India. It operates the country’s currency and credit system to benefit India, aiming to establish a modern monetary policy framework capable of addressing the complexities of a growing economy. The RBI strives to maintain price stability while considering the goal of fostering economic growth.
Reserve Bank of India Governors: Overview
The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India holds a crucial role as the chief executive officer of the country’s central bank. This position includes chairing the Central Board of Directors and having their signature on Indian Rupee currency notes issued by the Reserve Bank of India.
Appointed by the Government of India, the RBI Governor oversees various pivotal responsibilities, such as ensuring price stability, managing inflation, fostering economic growth, supervising financial institutions, and representing the RBI both nationally and internationally. Since its inception in 1935, the RBI has been led by twenty-five governors, with Sir Osborn Smith being the first among them. Each of these individuals has made their unique contributions, leaving a lasting impact on India’s economy and financial framework.
RBI Governors: A Brief History
The establishment of the Reserve Bank of India was recommended by the Hilton Young Commission in 1926. Following this recommendation, the RBI was brought into existence on April 1, 1935, as per the guidelines laid out in the Reserve Bank of India Act of 1934.
Initially, RBI headquarters was in Kolkata, the central office was later permanently relocated to Mumbai in 1937. This central hub houses the Governor and serves as the primary space for policy formulation within the RBI. During the colonial period, the RBI was under private ownership. However, after India gained independence in 1949, it became wholly owned by the Government of India.
Current RBI Governor of India: Shaktikanta Das
Shaktikanta Das, born on February 26, 1957, is a retired officer of the 1980 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), belonging to the Tamil Nadu cadre. Currently serving as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), he previously held positions as a member of the Fifteenth Finance Commission and served as India’s Sherpa to the G20.
Initially appointed in 2018, Shaktikanta Das was later reappointed in 2021. An official statement from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved his reappointment as the RBI Governor for an additional three years beyond December 10, 2021, or until further orders, whichever comes earlier.
RBI Governors List From 1935 to 2023
Here’s a comprehensive list of RBI Governors from 1935 to 2023:
| S. No. | Name of RBI Governor | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Osborne Smith | April 1, 1935 – June 30, 1937 |
| 2 | Sir James Braid Taylor | July 1, 1937 – February 17, 1943 |
| 3 | Sir C.D. Deshmukh | August 11, 1943 – June 30, 1949 |
| 4 | Sir Bengal Rama Rau | July 1, 1949 – January 14, 1957 |
| 5 | K.G. Ambegaonkar | January 14, 1957 – February 28, 1957 |
| 6 | H.V.R Lyengar | March 1, 1957 – February 28, 1962 |
| 7 | P.C Bhattacharya | March 1, 1962 – June 30, 1967 |
| 8 | L.K. Jha | July 1, 1967 – May 3, 1970 |
| 9 | B.N. Adarkar | May 4, 1970 – June 15, 1970 |
| 10 | S. Jagannathan | June 16, 1970 – May 19, 1975 |
| 11 | N.C. Sen Gupta | May 19, 1975 – August 19, 1975 |
| 12 | K.R. Puri | August 20, 1975 – May 2, 1977 |
| 13 | M. Narasimham | May 3, 1977 – November 30, 1977 |
| 14 | I.G. Patel | December 1, 1977 – September 15, 1982 |
| 15 | Manmohan Singh | September 16, 1982 – January 14, 1985 |
| 16 | Amitav Gosh | January 15, 1985 – September 4, 1985 |
| 17 | R.N. Malhotra | February 4, 1985 – December 22, 1990 |
| 18 | S. Venkitaramanan | December 22, 1990 – December 21, 1992 |
| 19 | C. Rangarajan | December 22, 1992 – November 21, 1997 |
| 20 | Bimal Jalan | November 22, 1997 – September 6, 2003 |
| 21 | Y.V. Reddy | September 6, 2003 – September 5, 2008 |
| 22 | D. Subbarao | September 5, 2008 – September 4, 2013 |
| 23 | Raghuram G. Rajan | September 4, 2013 – September 4, 2016 |
| 24 | Urjit Ravindra Patel | September 4, 2016 – December 10, 2018 |
| 25 | Shaktikanta Das | December 12, 2018 – till Now |
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