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Budget, Fiscal & Monetary Policy

RBI Grade B · General Awareness

Also prepare for:IBPS PO IBPS Clerk SBI PO SBI Clerk

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Core Concept

Read this first — the foundation of the topic

→BUDGET BASICS

The Union Budget is the government's annual financial statement. It shows how much money the government will earn (receipts) and spend (expenditure) in one year

→Budget has two parts

Revenue Budget (day-to-day expenses) and Capital Budget (asset creation). Revenue Deficit occurs when revenue receipts fall short of revenue expenditure. Fiscal Deficit happens when total expenditure exceeds total receipts except borrowings.

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Formula Block

Memorise — at least one formula appears in every paper

Revenue Deficit = Revenue Expenditure - Revenue Receipts

Fiscal Deficit = Total Expenditure - Total Receipts (excluding borrowings)

Primary Deficit = Fiscal Deficit - Interest Payments

Fiscal Deficit as % of GDP = (Fiscal Deficit ÷ GDP) × 100

FISCAL POLICY:

Fiscal Policy uses government spending and taxation to influence the economy. Expansionary Fiscal Policy means increasing spending or cutting taxes to boost growth. Contractionary Fiscal Policy means reducing spending or raising taxes to control inflation. The Finance Ministry handles fiscal policy through the annual budget.

MONETARY POLICY:

Monetary Policy controls money supply and interest rates. RBI (Reserve Bank of India) manages monetary policy. Main tools are Repo Rate, Reverse Repo Rate, CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio), and SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio). Repo Rate is the rate at which RBI lends to banks. CRR is the percentage of deposits banks must keep with RBI.

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Exam Patterns

What examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs

SSC CGL typically asks about deficit types, policy tools, and current rates. Questions often test the difference between fiscal and monetary policy. Budget terminology and RBI functions are frequently asked.

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Shortcuts

Use these to save 30–60 seconds per question

💡Remember 'FRPP' for deficit hierarchy

Fiscal > Revenue > Primary > Effective Revenue Deficit (in terms of size, usually)

✏️WORKED EXAMPLE 1

1

Fiscal Deficit = Total Expenditure - Total Receipts (excluding borrowings) Fiscal Deficit = ₹35 - ₹28 = ₹7 lakh crore

2

Primary Deficit = Fiscal Deficit - Interest Payments Primary Deficit = ₹7 - ₹6 = ₹1 lakh crore WORKED EXAMPLE 2: If Fiscal Deficit is ₹15 lakh crore and GDP is ₹250 lakh crore, calculate Fiscal Deficit as percentage of GDP.

1

Use formula = (Fiscal Deficit ÷ GDP) × 100

2

= (₹15 ÷ ₹250) × 100

3

= 0.06 × 100 = 6% SHORTCUT FOR POLICY EFFECTS: Expansionary Policy = More spending/Lower taxes/Lower interest rates = Economic growth Contractionary Policy = Less spending/Higher taxes/Higher interest rates = Control inflation COMMON MISTAKE #1: Students confuse Fiscal Deficit with Revenue Deficit

💡Remember

Fiscal Deficit includes ALL expenditure (revenue + capital), while Revenue Deficit only includes revenue expenditure. Fiscal Deficit is always larger than Revenue Deficit

📋CURRENT EXAM FOCUS

SSC CGL 2024 heavily focuses on budget components, deficit calculations, and policy tools. Questions on RBI's monetary policy committee (MPC) and inflation targeting are trending. Always remember current Repo Rate and key budget figures.

🔑 Key Points

Budget = Revenue Budget + Capital Budget, presented annually on February 1st
Fiscal Deficit = Total Expenditure - Total Receipts (excluding borrowings)
Revenue Deficit = Revenue Expenditure - Revenue Receipts
Primary Deficit = Fiscal Deficit - Interest Payments
Fiscal Policy controlled by Finance Ministry, Monetary Policy by RBI
Repo Rate = Rate at which RBI lends to commercial banks
CRR = Cash Reserve Ratio, percentage of deposits banks keep with RBI
Expansionary policy stimulates growth, Contractionary policy controls inflation
MPC (Monetary Policy Committee) meets 6 times a year to decide rates
FRBM Act 2003 targets fiscal deficit at 3% of GDP

📌 Exam Facts

Union Budget is presented on February 1st every year since 2017
FRBM Act 2003 (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act) targets fiscal deficit at 3% of GDP
Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has 6 members with 4-year tenure
RBI's inflation target is 4% with upper tolerance of 6% and lower tolerance of 2%
Current Repo Rate decisions are taken by 6-member MPC through majority voting
SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio) minimum limit is 18% as per RBI Act
Budget documents include 13 different statements as per constitutional requirement
Article 112 of Constitution deals with Union Budget presentation

🚀 60-Second Revision

Remember: Fiscal Deficit always larger than Revenue Deficit and Primary Deficit
Formula: Fiscal Deficit = Total Expenditure - Total Receipts (excluding borrowings)
Trap: Don't confuse fiscal policy (government) with monetary policy (RBI)
Current Focus: MPC meets 6 times annually, inflation target 4% ± 2%
Quick Recall: Budget date Feb 1st, FRBM target 3% fiscal deficit
Policy Effect: Lower rates = growth boost, Higher rates = inflation control
Exam Tip: Revenue items repeat yearly, Capital items create assets

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