RBI Governors List of India (2025 Updated) - Summary
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the top money authority in India. Since it started in 1935, 25 Governors have led the RBI. The RBI Governor plays a very important role in keeping India’s money system stable, which affects your daily life.
Complete RBI Governors List (1935-2025) – PDF Download
The first Reserve Bank of India Governor was Sir Osborne Smith, a British banker. The first Indian Governor was C.D. Deshmukh. Currently, Sanjay Malhotra has been serving as the RBI Governor since December 11, 2024.
Latest RBI Governors List
| RBI Governors | Time Period 1935-2025 |
|---|---|
| Sir Osborne Smith | April 1, 1935 – June 30, 1937 |
| Sir James Braid Taylor | July 1, 1937 – February 17, 1943 |
| Sir C.D. Deshmukh | August 11, 1943 – June 30, 1949 |
| Sir Bengal Rama Rau | July 1, 1949 – January 14, 1957 |
| K.G. Ambegaonkar | January 14, 1957 – February 28, 1957 |
| H.V.R Lyengar | March 1, 1957 – February 28, 1962 |
| P.C Bhattacharya | March 1, 1962 – June 30, 1967 |
| L.K. Jha | July 1, 1967 – May 3, 1970 |
| B.N. Adarkar | May 4, 1970 – June 15, 1970 |
| S. Jagannathan | June 16, 1970 – May 19, 1975 |
| N.C. Sen Gupta | May 19, 1975 – August 19, 1975 |
| K.R. Puri | August 20, 1975 – May 2, 1977 |
| M. Narasimham | May 3, 1977 – November 30, 1977 |
| I.G. Patel | December 1, 1977 – September 15, 1982 |
| Manmohan Singh | September 16, 1982 – January 14, 1985 |
| Amitav Gosh | January 15, 1985 – February 4, 1985 |
| R.N. Malhotra | February 4, 1985 – December 22, 1990 |
| S. Vpnldraramanan | December 22, 1990 – December 21, 1992 |
| C. Rangarajan | December 22, 1992 – November 21, 1997 |
| Bimal Jalan | November 22, 1997 – September 6, 2003 |
| Y.V. Reddy | September 6, 2003 – September 5, 2008 |
| D. Subbarao | September 5, 2008 – September 4, 2013 |
| Raghuram G. Raj an | September 4, 2013 – September 4, 2016 |
| Urjit Ravindra Patel | September 4, 2016 – December 10, 2018 |
| Shaktikanta Das | December 12, 2018 – 11 December 2024 |
| Sanjay Malhotra | 11 December 2024 – Current |
Duties, Roles & Responsibilities of RBI Governor
- Leading the Reserve Bank of India and keeping the country’s money system stable.
- Giving approval to start new foreign and private banks.
- Controlling interest rates on loans and savings in the country.
- Managing and supervising the whole financial system within the set rules.
- Watching over foreign trade payments and the foreign exchange market, as per Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.
- Making sure there are enough currency notes and coins and taking damaged notes out of use.
- Making banking rules simpler for customers.
- Supervising co-operative banks through Urban Bank Departments.
- Helping small industries, farmers, and rural sectors get credit and managing various regional banks.
Important Powers of RBI Governor
- Acts as the banker to all banks in India.
- Leads the commercial banks and guides them.
- Impacts both small-scale and big-picture economies.
- Has influence over the stock market.
- The RBI Governor’s signature appears on all currency notes.
- Controls the country’s money, currency, and credit systems.
Download the RBI Governors List PDF from the provided link below to keep a handy copy.
