HomeCirculars › RBI/2005-2006/422

CRR Floor Removed, Status Quo Maintained at 5%

No longer current — withdrawn, no replacement on file yet
Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2005-2006/422 · issued 22 Jun 2006 · ~2 min read
Quick answerRBI has removed the statutory minimum CRR of 3% effective June 22, 2006, giving itself full flexibility to set CRR without floor or ceiling. Banks must continue maintaining CRR at 5% of demand and time liabilities, and no interest will be paid on CRR balances from June 24, 2006.

What changed

The Reserve Bank of India (Amendment) Bill, 2006 removed the statutory floor of 3% for CRR under Section 42(1) of the RBI Act, 1934. RBI now has full discretion to set CRR without any lower or upper limit. Additionally, interest payment on CRR balances has been discontinued from the fortnight beginning June 24, 2006.

What it means for you

Banks lose the guaranteed 3% CRR floor, giving RBI more flexibility to tighten or ease liquidity as needed. The removal of interest on CRR balances increases the effective cost of maintaining reserves, impacting bank profitability. Lenders must now factor in potential CRR volatility and the higher opportunity cost of idle reserves.

Historical instruction — do not use for current compliance. This is what was required at the time; it no longer reflects current RBI requirements. If no replacement rule is linked above, that only means none is recorded on our register yet — it does not prove no later applicable rule exists. Confirm on the official RBI source below.

What banks were required to do at the time

Who it affects

All scheduled commercial banks (excluding RRBs), Treasury and liquidity management teams, Compliance and regulatory reporting departments

❓ Common questions

Regulatory timeline

Built from our lineage records — each fact carries its provenance; missing history simply is not shown (never guessed).

What is the current CRR rate after this amendment?

RBI has maintained status quo, so CRR remains at 5% of total demand and time liabilities, subject to exemptions notified separately.

Will banks receive any interest on CRR balances now?

No. Interest payment on CRR balances has been discontinued from the fortnight beginning June 24, 2006, following the omission of Section 42(1B).

Can RBI change CRR to any level without restriction?

Yes. With the removal of the 3% statutory floor, RBI can now set CRR at any rate, with no floor or ceiling, to ensure monetary stability.

📜 This document’s life story (1 recorded event, each backed by RBI’s own words)
Repealed by RBI/2025-26/100 — Consolidation of Regulations — Withdrawal of circulars (28 Nov 2025)
RBI’s words: “Official withdrawal register entry #2638: DBOD.No.Ret.BC.91/12.01.001/2005-2006 — "Section 42(1) of Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 - Maintenance of CRR" dated June 22, 2006”
📜 Read the original circular — full text as issued by RBI
RBI/2005-2006/422 DBOD.No.Ret.BC. 91 /12.01.001/2005-2006  June 22, 2006   To All Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding Regional Rural Banks) Dear Sir, Section 42(1) of Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 – Maintenance of CRR Please refer to our Circular DBOD.No.Ret.BC.41/12.01.001/2004-2005 dated September 11, 2004 . 2. The Reserve Bank of India (Amendment) Bill, 2006 has been enacted and has come into force with effect from June 22, 2006, with its notification in the Gazette. Consequent upon the amendment to sub-section (1) of Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Reserve Bank having regard to the needs of securing the monetary stability in the country, can prescribe the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for scheduled banks without any floor rate or ceiling rate. The statutory minimum CRR requirement of 3 per cent of total demand and time liabilities no longer exists with effect from June 22, 2006.  In exercise of the powers conferred on Reserve Bank of India, it has been decided to continue the status quo on the rate of CRR to be maintained by Scheduled Commercial Banks and the extant exemptions, which will be operative till further changes are notified. Accordingly, Scheduled Commercial Banks shall continue to maintain CRR of 5 per cent of their total demand and time liabilities, subject to the exemptions as indicated in our circular DBOD.No.Ret.BC.93/12.01.001/2005-2006 dated June 22, 2006. 3. Further, as part of the amendments carried out to Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, sub-section (1B) of Section 42 of the Act has been omitted. Accordingly, the Reserve Bank will not be paying any interest on the CRR balances maintained by Scheduled Commercial Banks with effect from the fortnight beginning June 24, 2006. 4.  A copy of the relative notification DBOD.No.Ret.BC.90 /12.01.001/2005-2006 dated June 22, 2006 is enclosed.  Yours faithfully, (T.B.Satyanarayan) General Manager DBOD.No.Ret.BC. 90/12.01.001/2005-2006 June 22, 2006 NOTIFICATION Consequent upon the amendment carried out to sub-section (1) of Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (2 of 1934), the statutory minimum Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) requirement of 3 per cent of the total demand and time liabilities no longer exists in respect of Scheduled Commercial Banks with effect from June 22, 2006. Further, in exercise of the powers conferred under the amended sub-section (1) of Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and having regard to the needs of securing monetary stability in the country, the Reserve Bank of India hereby notifies that every Scheduled Commercial Bank should continue to maintain a Cash Reserve Ratio of 5 per cent of its total demand and time liabilities subject to the exemptions as envisaged in Notification No.DBOD. Ret.BC.92/12.01.001/2005-2006 dated June 22, 2006. This is in partial modification of the notification DBOD.No.Ret.BC.40/12.01.001/2004-2005 dated September 11, 2004. (Anand Sinha) Executive Director
Reproduced for reference with acknowledgment — Source: Reserve Bank of India · RBI/2005-2006/422 · issued 22 Jun 2006. The plain-English explanation above is BankPulse’s own independent summary.
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Official RBI source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=2920&Mode=0 — Plain-English summary by BankPulse (bankpulse.ai), reviewed by our expert reviewer, CA Amit Jain. Independent platform, not affiliated with the Reserve Bank of India; is our own plain-English paraphrase, not RBI’s original wording.
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