List of RBI Governors Till Date (1935-2024)

This article will provide you a List of RBI Governors Till Date, their names, and the duration they have served in the Reserve Bank of India.

Knowing the RBI governors is an important aspect of preparing for competitive exams such as UPSC, bank exams, and government exams. The RBI governors list is a static General Knowledge topic in the UPSC syllabus.

The Reserve bank of India is responsible to govern the monetary policy of the country. The Reserve bank of India (RBI) was established on 1st April 1935, under the 1935 RBI Act with the recommendation of the “Hilton – Young Commission”. RBI’s headquarters were initially in Kolkata but moved to Mumbai in 1937. The head of RBI, known as the governor, is appointed by the Government of India. So far RBI has had 25 governors. The first governor of RBI was Osborne Smith in 1935, and the current governor is Shaktikanta Das.

List of RBI Governors Till Date (1935-2024)

The RBI Governors List from 1935 to 2024 is as mentioned below:

SL No.	RBI Governors Names	Time Period 1935-2024
1	Sir Osborne Smith	April 1, 1935 – June 30, 1937
2	Sir James Braid Taylor	July 1, 1937 – February 17, 1943
3	Sir C.D. Deshmukh	August 11, 1943 – June 30, 1949
4	Sir Bengal Rama Rau	July 1, 1949 – January 14, 1957
5	K.G. Ambegaonkar	January 14, 1957 – February 28, 1957
6	H.V.R Lyengar	March 1, 1957 – February 28, 1962
7	P.C Bhattacharya	March 1, 1962 – June 30, 1967
8	L.K. Jha	July 1, 1967 – May 3, 1970
9	B.N. Adarkar	May 4, 1970 – June 15, 1970
10	S. Jagannathan	June 16, 1970 – May 19, 1975
11	N.C. Sen Gupta	May 19, 1975 – August 19, 1975
12	K.R. Puri	August 20, 1975 – May 2, 1977
13	M. Narasimham	May 3, 1977 – November 30, 1977
14	Dr. I.G. Patel	December 1, 1977 – September 15, 1982
15	Manmohan Singh	September 16, 1982 – January 14, 1985
16	Amitav Gosh	January 15, 1985 – September 4, 1985
17	R.N. Malhotra	February 4, 1985 – December 22, 1990
18	S. Vpnldraramanan	December 22, 1990 – December 21, 1992
19	C. Rangarajan	December 22, 1992 – November 21, 1997
20	Bimal Jalan	November 22, 1997 – September 6, 2003
21	Y.V. Reddy	September 6, 2003 – September 5, 2008
22	D. Subbarao	September 5, 2008 – September 4, 2013
23	Raghu ram G. Raj an	September 4, 2013 – September 4, 2016
24	Urjit Ravindra Patel	September 4, 2016 – December 10,2018
25	Shaktikanta Das	December 12, 2018 – to date

Who appointed the RBI governor?

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor is appointed by the President of India, based on the recommendation of a committee constituted by the Indian government. The committee considers various factors such as experience, expertise and reputation of the candidates before making its recommendation to the President. The appointment of the RBI Governor is a crucial decision that affects the country’s monetary and financial stability, and hence it is considered carefully by the government and the committee.

RBI Governor Eligibility

The RBI Act doesn’t mention any specific qualification for the Governor. Initially, RBI Governors were a part of Indian Civil services like C D Deshmukh, Bengal Rama Rao etc. But a be governor of RBI it is necessary to have knowledge of financial or economic strategies.

RBI Governor Duties

The role of the RBI governor includes:

• Formulating and implementing monetary policy
• Regulating the supply of money in the economy
• Overseeing the banking sector and ensuring financial stability
• Acting as the regulator for the country’s payment and settlement systems
• Managing foreign exchange and international reserves
• Promoting financial literacy and inclusion
• Representing India in international forums and negotiations on economic and monetary issues.

RBI Governor Powers

• Setting interest rates: The RBI governor has the power to set benchmark interest rates, such as the repo rate and the reverse repo rate, to influence the cost of borrowing and the availability of credit.
• Regulating banks: The RBI governor has the power to regulate and supervise banks to ensure their stability and adherence to prudential norms and regulations.
• Controlling the money supply: The RBI governor can control the money supply by using instruments like open market operations, bank rate policy, and reserve requirements.
• Licensing new banks: The RBI governor has the power to grant licenses for the establishment of new banks in the country.
• Promoting financial stability: The RBI governor can take measures to promote financial stability, such as directing banks to provide adequate credit to specific sectors or imposing restrictions on loan disbursals in certain areas.
• Representing India internationally: The RBI governor represents India in international forums and negotiations on monetary and financial issues, promoting the country’s interests and financial stability.

RBI Governors Tenure

The term of office of the RBI Governor is normally three years, but may be extended at the discretion of the Government of India. The Governor can be terminated in two cases and they are as follows:

• Resignation is submitted.
• If dismissed by the President.

List of RBI Governors Till Date (1935 to 2022)- FAQs