Get App
Download App Scanner
Scan to Download
Advertisement
This Article is From Aug 31, 2013

No proposal to buy gold from temple trusts, says RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said it is not contemplating any proposal to buy idle gold and convert it into bullion.

No proposal to buy gold from temple trusts, says RBI
Mumbai:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said it is not contemplating any proposal to buy idle gold and convert it into bullion.

"The RBI clarifies that no such proposal is under its consideration at this juncture," the apex bank said in a statement on Saturday.

There have been media reports that the RBI is considering various options of converting idle gold, including that available with temple trusts, into bullion.

Bullion usually stands for gold in form of bars before coining.

Demand for gold is the reason for rise in import of the precious metal. The rising gold import is one of the main reasons for India's high current account deficit (CAD), which widened to a record 4.8 per cent of GDP in fiscal year 2012-13.

The RBI and the government have already taken various steps to control the import of gold with a view to check current account deficit. The government recently raised customs duty on gold to 10 per cent.

Import of gold went up by a huge 87 per cent from 205 tonnes in April-July 2012 to 383 tonnes during the corresponding period this year. In value terms, the increase was 68 per cent from Rs 56,488 crore to Rs 95,092 crore.

The government has targeted the current account deficit at 3.7 per cent of GDP, or $70 billion, in the current financial year.

India's current account deficit, which indicates the excess of imports of goods, services and transfers over exports, touched a record 4.8 per cent of GDP, or $88.2 billion, in 2012-13.

Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.

Newsletters

Update Email
to get newsletters straight to your inbox
⚠️ Add your Email ID to receive Newsletters
Note: You will be signed up automatically after adding email

News for You

Set as Trusted Source
on Google Search
Add NDTV Profit As Google Preferred Source