The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Shaktikanta Das, has tested positive for coronavirus. The RBI Governor shared the news in a tweet posted on Sunday, and said that he will continue to work from isolation. Das said he is asymptomatic and has alerted those who came in contact with him in recent days.
"I have tested COVID-19 positive. Asymptomatic. Feeling very much alright. Have alerted those who came in contact in recent days. Will continue to work from isolation. Work in RBI will go on normally. I am in touch with all Dy. Govs and other officers through VC and telephone," he tweeted.
Currently, the RBI has full strength of four deputy governors B P Kanungo, M K Jain, M D Patra and M Rajeshwar Rao. The RBI governor was quite active during the lockdown period and post unlock period to keep the economy and financial market in good shape.
He used both conventional and unconventional monetary policy tools to support the economic recovery hit by COVID-19 crisis.
Earlier, Shaktikanta Das had said the risk of a second wave of COVID-19 could put sand in the wheels of the nascent recovery while his deputy MD Patra opined that it might take years to regain the output lost on account of the pandemic.
These views were expressed by them during the meeting of the newly constituted Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held from October 7 to 9.
The newly appointed independent member of the rate-setting panel Shashanka Bhide said uncertainties relating to COVID-19 pandemic will impact growth and inflation scenarios in the next two to three quarters.
Das also said the decision to cut benchmark repo rate would depend upon the evolving situation with regard to inflation which is currently above the tolerance level of the central bank, according to the minutes of the meeting released by RBI.
"I recognise that there exists space for future rate cuts if the inflation evolves in line with our expectations. This space needs to be used judiciously to support recovery in growth," Das said.