The Reserve Bank, as the central bank of the country has been performing multidimensional functions covering monetary policy, financial regulation and supervision, development of financial technologies etc. In this context, the RBI has three sets of operational wings: offices, subsidiaries and training centers.
(a) RBI Offices
The RBI has a network of 31 offices and branches through which it discharges various responsibilities. The branches operating in the four metros — Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai are performing a higher level of functions. The offices are headed by a senior officer in the rank of Chief General Manager, designated as Regional Director. Smaller offices are headed by a senior officer in the rank of General Manager.
Figure: Offices of the RBI (Source:https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/RegionalOffices.aspx)
- The office at Kolkata has jurisdiction over Sikkim and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands besides West Bengal. There is an office at Gangtok, Sikkim.
- The office at Thiruvananthapuram has jurisdiction over Lakshadweep Islands besides the state of Kerala. The RBI has another office at Kochi as well.
- The office at Mumbai has jurisdiction over Goa besides the state of Maharashtra.
- The RBI has three offices in Maharashtra – Mumbai, Nagpur and Belapur.
- The RBI has two offices in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, situated at Jammu and Kashmir.
(b) Training establishments: The RBI has the following four training establishments; the first three are part of the RBI, whereas the IDRBT is autonomous.
- RBI Academy,
- College of Agricultural Banking,
- Reserve Bank of India Staff College
- Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT)
(c) Subsidiaries of the RBI
The RBI fully owns some of the major institutions of monetary policy importance. It has a cent per cent shareholding in two important institutions among others: Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) and Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL). The fully owned subsidiaries of the RBI are:
- Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation of India (DICGC),
- Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited (BRBNMPL),
- Reserve Bank Information Technology Private Limited (ReBIT),
- Indian Financial Technology and Allied Services (IFTAS), and
- Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH).
Earlier, the RBI had full ownership in NHB and NABARD. But in April 2019, the Government brought the entire shareholding in these institutions from the RBI. The Narasimham Committee in the early 1990s recommended that the RBI as a regulator should not own financial institutions.
Source: https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/AboutusDisplay.aspx
