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News 12 of 22

RBI Maintains Repo Rate at 5.25%, Raises FY26 GDP Growth Forecast to 7.4%

Target:UPSC GS-IIIMPSCBankingSSC GATeachingPrelims HighMains MediumStatic GK Link
06 Feb 2026
~2 min
Source: Indian Express
Key Data:Repo rate 5.25%GDP growth forecast 7.4% FY2026Inflation forecast 2.1% FY2026CPI inflation projection 4.0% Q1 FY27CPI inflation projection 4.2% Q2 FY27
Bodies:RBIMonetary Policy Committee
Practice MCQs from today's news ▸
What This Article Covers

1.RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) maintained the repo rate at 5.25% and raised the FY2026 GDP growth forecast by 10 basis points to 7.4%.

2.Governor highlighted India's strong position due to robust domestic demand, resilient services, and improving manufacturing, with inflation remaining below the tolerance band.

3.The policy stance is supportive of growth, with benign inflation providing policy space, while external risks from geopolitics and trade tensions persist.

The Big Picture
Prelims · HighMains · Medium

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra presented the first monetary policy of 2026, highlighting India's resilient economy with strong growth and low inflation despite global uncertainty. The MPC kept the repo rate unchanged at 5.25% but upgraded the GDP forecast for FY2026 to 7.4%, signaling confidence in domestic demand and policy support.

Exam Lens

Quick Exam Facts From News

Repo Rate5.25% (unchanged)
FY2026 GDP Forecast7.4% (raised from 7.3%)
FY2026 CPI Inflation Forecast2.1% (raised from 2.0%)
Q1 FY2027 CPI Forecast4.0%
Date of Policy AnnouncementFebruary 2026
RBI GovernorSanjay Malhotra

1-Minute Revision

  • ›Repo Rate: 5.25% (unchanged)
  • ›FY2026 GDP Forecast: 7.4% (raised from 7.3%)
  • ›Target this Data: FY2026 GDP forecast revised to 7.4% (from 7.3%) and repo rate unchanged at 5.25%.
  • ›Target this Nodal Body: The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India.
  • ›Target this Legal Point: The RBI's inflation targeting mandate under the RBI Act, with a tolerance band of 2-6%.

Mastered this topic? Test your knowledge with a full MCQ quiz.

Practice exam-style questions, track your score, and strengthen your recall.

Q1Static LinkageEasy

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) that decides the key policy rates is constituted under which Act?

Q2Statement-basedHard

Consider the following statements regarding the recent RBI Monetary Policy announcement:

1. The repo rate was increased by 25 basis points to control inflationary pressures.

2. The GDP growth forecast for FY2026 was revised upwards to 7.4%.

3. The CPI inflation forecast for FY2026 was kept unchanged at 2.0%.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q3Data-centricMedium

As per the First Advance Estimates mentioned in the RBI Governor's statement, what is the projected growth rate for the Indian economy in 2025-26 (FY2026)?

Q4Application/ImpactMedium

The RBI Governor stated that benign inflation provides 'policy space'. What is the most direct implication of this policy space for the central bank's actions?

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