Newly appointed Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das on Wednesday promised to try and uphold the value and autonomy of the institution and said his immediate focus will be on the banking sector.
“I have convened a meeting with chief executive officers and managing directors of public sector banks tomorrow [Thursday] morning,” ANI quoted him as saying. “Banking is an important segment in our economy and it’s facing several challenges that need to be dealt with.”
Das, a former Union economic affairs secretary and current member of the 15th Finance Commission, was appointed to the central bank on Tuesday, a day after Urjit Patel resigned. Patel’s resignation came almost a year before his tenure was slated to end and days before a crucial RBI meeting on December 14. In a statement uploaded on the RBI’s website, Patel said he was resigning “on account of personal reasons”. However, many have linked the resignation with the growing rift between the RBI and Narendra Modi’s government over the past few months.
“I will try and uphold professionalism, core values, credibility and autonomy of this institution,” Das said on Wednesday. “It’s an honour and great opportunity to serve RBI. I will try my best to work with everyone and work in the interest of Indian economy.”
He refused to answer questions on the alleged disagreement between the government and the central bank. “All issues can be resolved through discussions,” NDTV quoted him as saying.
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