RBI Governor Urjit Patel steps down, cites 'personal reasons' for his resignation
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel on Monday resigned from his post with immediate effect, citing "personal reasons".
"On account of personal reasons, I have decided to step down from my current position effective immediately," he said in a brief statement released by the RBI.
His resignation was being speculated right from the time the government cited a never-before-used provision of the RBI Act to get him to consider its views on relaxing lending norms for segments such as small and medium enterprises, appropriate size of reserves the central bank must maintain and easing norms for weak banks.
In his statement, Patel thanked his colleagues at the RBI but made no mention of the government or the Finance Ministry.
"It has been my privilege and honour to serve in the Reserve Bank of India in various capacities over the years. The support and hard work of RBI staff, officers and management has been the proximate driver of the bank's considerable accomplishments in recent years.
"I take this opportunity to express gratitude to my colleagues and Directors of the RBI Central Board, and wish them all the best for the future," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted after Patel's resignation and said that Patel as RBI Governor steered the banking system from chaos to order and ensured discipline.
"Dr. Urjit Patel is a thorough professional with impeccable integrity. He has been in the Reserve Bank of India for about 6 years as Deputy Governor and Governor. He leaves behind a great legacy. We will miss him immensely," PM Modi tweeted.
He posted another tweet saying, "Dr Urjit Patel is an economist of a very high calibre with a deep and insightful understanding of macro-economic issues. He steered the banking system from chaos to order and ensured discipline. Under his leadership, the RBI brought financial stability."
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also appreciated the service rendered by RBI Governor Urjit Patel saying it was a pleasure to deal with him and has benefitted from his scholarship.
"The Government acknowledges with deep sense of appreciation the services rendered by Dr Urjit Patel to this country both in his capacity as the Governor and the Deputy Governor of the RBI. It was a pleasure for me to deal with him and benefit from his scholarship," Jaitley tweeted.
"I wish Dr Patel all the very best and many more years of public service," he said.
Who is Urjit Patel
Patel, 55, who took over as the 24th Governor of the central bank on September 5, 2016, had the shortest tenure since 1992.
He was hand-picked by the BJP-led government after his predecessor Raghuram Rajan was denied a second-term.
Patel had more than eight months of the first three-year tenure left and was eligible for a second term as was given to several of his predecessors barring Rajan.
Prior to taking over on September 6, 2016, he was a Deputy Governor overseeing the monetary policy department at the RBI under Rajan and was known as his 'inflation-warrior'.
Patel, who has worked with the International Monetary Fund, Boston Consulting Group and Reliance Industries, among other organisations, took over after Rajan completed his three-year term on September 4.
Patel is among the few with a corporate background to become RBI Governor, the top post at the Mint Street that has been previously held by mostly career bureaucrats and economists.
Patel was the eighth Deputy Governor at RBI to be made Governor, the last being Y V Reddy. Besides, at least five former Governors had served at IMF before becoming RBI chief, while a few others went on to work at IMF after leaving the central bank.
However, some Deputy Governors served as Governors only for interim periods.
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