RBI cuts policy rate by 25 basic points to 6.25%, first reduction in five years
Mumbai (PTI): The RBI under new Governor Sanjay Malhotra on Friday cut interest rate for the first time in nearly five years as the central bank pivoted the policy stance to support a shuttering economy.
The 25 basis points rate cut to 6.25 percent comes after last rate reduction in May 2020. The last revision of rates happened in February 2023 when the policy rate was hiked by 25 basis points to 6.5 percent.
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously decided to slash policy rate by 25 basis points to 6.25 percent, Malhotra said.
The interest rate cut comes within a week of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Budget 2025-26 providing biggest ever tax break to the middle class to boost consumption after the economy has slowed to its lowest pace since the pandemic.
The rate increase cycle was paused in April 2023 after six consecutive rate hikes, aggregating to 250 basis points since May 2022. The last rate hike was done by RBI in February 2023.
Post Budget, the Finance Ministry made a case for rate cut by saying that fiscal and monetary policy should work in tandem.
It was an indication that the RBI should cut rate as the Union Budget has announced several measures including income tax relief.
Earlier this week, Finance Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey had said the government has taken measures to lower fiscal deficit and delivered a non-inflationary Budget, and hoped that the RBI’s monetary policy will work in tandem with fiscal policy to support growth.
The Budget 2025-26 announced slew of measures including significant income tax cuts for the middle class, benefiting 1 crore tax payers.
Besides, the government has bettered its fiscal deficit projections for the current fiscal as well as the next. The fiscal deficit for FY25 has been pegged at 4.8 per cent of GDP, lower than budgeted 4.9 percent, while for FY26 the deficit is projected at 4.4 percent, lower than what was given in the consolidation roadmap.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
