RBI extends liquidity window for healthcare

₹50,000 cr. facility at hand till June 30

NEW DELHI, 13/06/2012: Reserve Bank may cut interest rates next week to boost the sagging economy, even as World Bank said this in the report titled 'Global Economic Prospect' that the Indian economy will grow by 6.9 per cent in this financial year 2012-13 notwithstanding problems like policy uncertainties, fiscal deficit and inflation. Photo: V.V. Krishnan

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday proposed to extend the term-liquidity facility of ₹50,000 crore offered to emergency health services by three months till June 30.

Last year in May, RBI had announced an on-tap liquidity window of ₹50,000 crore, at the repo rate with tenors of up to three years, to boost provision of immediate liquidity for ramping up COVID-19-related healthcare infrastructure and services in the country.

Banks were incentivised for quick delivery of credit under the scheme through extension of priority-sector classification to such lending up to March 31, 2022.

“In view of the response to the scheme, it is now proposed to extend this window up to June 30, 2022 from March 31, 2022 as announced earlier,” the RBI said in a statement on development and regulatory policies on Thursday.

Under the scheme, banks were expected to create a COVID-19 loan book.