**Executive Summary**
This document, issued by the Reserve Bank of India on December 11, 2025, provides amendment directions regarding Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) for Rural Co-operative Banks. The amendments are necessitated by the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025, with most provisions effective from December 15, 2025 and some from December 12, 2025. It modifies existing directions dated November 28, 2025, and requires revised maintenance and reporting of CRR and SLR.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Amendment Basis:** The Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025 amends provisions related to CRR and SLR maintenance.
* **Definition of 'Fortnight':**
* The definition of 'Fortnight' is amended to mean "the period from the first day to the fifteenth day of each calendar month or sixteenth day to the last day of each calendar month, both days inclusive".
* Effective enactment date: December 15, 2025.
* **CRR and SLR Maintenance and Reporting:**
* CRR and SLR maintenance and reporting in Form B and Form I returns are revised to align with the amended definition of 'Fortnight'.
* Banks must submit fortnightly Form B returns from December 15, 2025, and monthly Form I returns from December 2025 on the CIMS portal.
* New versions of Form B and Form I are available on the Centralised Information Management System (CIMS) portal with new return codes.
* **Effective Dates:**
* Provisions effective from December 15, 2025, except paragraph 7 (viii) (3), which is effective from December 12, 2025.
* **Transitional CRR and SLR Maintenance**
* The maintenance of CRR and SLR during the fortnight December 16-31, 2025 and the first fortnight of January 2026 (i.e., January 1-15, 2026) is to be done by the banks, based on the Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) as on November 28, 2025 and December 15, 2025, respectively.
* During the transition period of three days i.e., December 13-15, 2025, the maintenance of CRR and SLR is to be done by the banks, based on the Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) as on November 28, 2025. The banks shall maintain minimum CRR of not less than hundred per cent of the required CRR during the transition period.
* The banks shall also submit Form B return for December 12, 2025, as per the extant reporting structure.
* The banks are advised to submit Form I return of December 2025 on CIMS portal, both with old and new return codes.
* **Modifications to Existing Directions:**
* References to "Friday" in various paragraphs and annexes of the RBI directions are replaced with "day" or "last day of the fortnight".
* Specific deletions and substitutions are made in paragraphs 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 38.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Rural Co-operative Banks**
* **Impact:**
* Affected by changes in CRR and SLR maintenance and reporting requirements.
* Impacted by revised definition of 'Fortnight'.
* **Action Required:**
* Align CRR and SLR maintenance and reporting practices with the amended definition of 'Fortnight'.
* Submit Form B and Form I returns as per the new guidelines and timelines, starting from December 15, 2025, and December 2025 respectively.
* Comply with the transitional maintenance procedure as defined in the document.
Key Entities Referenced
Reserve Bank of India: Central bank of India, responsible for regulating the banking sector.
Banking Regulation Act, 1949: Indian law that regulates banking companies. Referenced for the powers conferred to RBI.
Reserve Bank of India (Rural Co-operative Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Amendment Directions, 2025: Policy document specifying the amendments to the cash reserve ratio and statutory liquidity ratio requirements for rural co-operative banks in India.
Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025: Act amending various provisions in banking laws, including sections of the Reserve Bank of India Act and Banking Regulation Act.
भारतीय ररज़र्व बैंक
RESERVE BANK OF INDIA
RBI/2025-26/154
DOR.RET.REC.360/12.01.001/2025-26 December 11, 2025
Reserve Bank of India (Rural Co-operative Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and
Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Amendment Directions, 2025
Please refer to Reserve Bank of India (Rural Co-operative Banks – Cash Reserve
Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Directions, 2025 dated November 28, 2025.
2. The Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025 has amended various provisions,
including the section 42 of Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 and the sections 18 and
24 of Banking Regulation Act 1949 [(read with section 56 (AACS)], relating to
maintenance of Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR).
3. Pursuant to the enactment of the Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025, the
definition of ‘Fortnight’ has been amended from “the period from Saturday to the
second following Friday, both days inclusive” to “the period from the first day to the
fifteenth day of each calendar month or sixteenth day to the last day of each calendar
month, both days inclusive”. As notified in the Gazette of India dated December 08,
2025, the enactment date of the stated definition of fortnight is December 15, 2025.
Consequently, the CRR and SLR maintenance and reporting in their returns i.e., Form
B and Form I respectively, also stand revised to align with the amended definition of
the fortnight.
4. Accordingly, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 35A of the Banking
Regulation Act, 1949 and pursuant to Section 42 of the Reserve Bank of India Act,
1934 and Sections 18 and 24 of Banking Regulation Act, 1949, as amended from time
to time, and all other provisions / laws enabling the Reserve Bank of India in this
regard, the Reserve Bank being satisfied that it is necessary and expedient in the
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
विवियमि विभाग, केंद्रीय कायाालय, 12िी ींऔर 13िी ींमींव़िल, िरीमि भिि, िरीमि पॉइींट, म ींबई 400021
Department of Regulation, Central Office, 12th & 13th Floor, Nariman Bhavan, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021
बैंक व ींदी में पत्राचार का स्वागत करता ै
Caution: RBI never sends mails, SMSs or makes calls asking for personal information like bank account details, passwords,
etc. It never keeps or offers funds to anyone. Please do not respond in any manner to such offers.public interest so to do, hereby, issues the Amendment Directions hereinafter
specified.
5. These Directions shall be called the Reserve Bank of India (Rural Co-operative
Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Amendment Directions,
2025.
6. The provisions shall come into effect from December 15, 2025, except paragraph 7
(viii) (3), which shall be effective from December 12, 2025.
7. These Amendment Directions modify the Reserve Bank of India (Rural Co-operative
Banks – Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) Directions, 2025 as under:
(i) In paragraph 6 (14), the definition of ‘Fortnight’ shall be redefined as
‘Fortnight’ means the period from the first day to the fifteenth day of each
calendar month or sixteenth day to the last day of each calendar month, both
days inclusive.
(ii) In paragraphs 6 (18), 9, 10, 22, 24, 25, 26 the words ‘Friday' shall be
substituted with ‘day'.
(iii) In paragraph 31, the words ‘each alternate Friday and’ shall be substituted
with ‘last day of each fortnight’, the word 'seven' shall be substituted with 'five'
and the word 'provisional' shall be deleted.
(iv) In paragraph 32, the words 'reporting Friday' shall be substituted with ‘last day
of each fortnight’ and the words ‘that Friday' shall be substituted with ‘last day
of such fortnight’.
(v) In paragraph 33, the words ‘final’ and 'within 20 days from expiry of the
relevant fortnight' shall be deleted.
(vi) The paragraph 34 shall be deleted.
(vii) In paragraph 35, the words 'each alternate Fridays' / ‘alternate Friday’ / ‘that
Friday’ shall be substituted with ‘last day of each fortnight' / ‘day’ / ‘last day of
that fortnight’
(viii) Three new paragraphs shall be inserted after paragraph 37, namely:
1. “37 A. Under the new reporting structure, as amended vide Banking
Laws (Amendment) Act 2025, there shall be no Provisional or Final or
2Special Form B return. The banks are required to submit single Form
B return. The new versions of Form B and Form I returns are available
on the Centralised Information Management System (CIMS) portal with
new return codes. The banks are required to submit fortnightly Form B
return from December 15, 2025 and monthly Form I return from
December 2025 on the CIMS portal.”
2. “37 B. The maintenance of CRR and SLR during the fortnight
December 16-31, 2025 and the first fortnight of January 2026 (i.e.,
January 1-15, 2026) is to be done by the banks, based on the Net
Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) as on November 28, 2025 and
December 15, 2025, respectively. From the subsequent fortnights
starting from January 16, 2026, the maintenance shall be done, as
presently applicable, i.e., based on the NDTL as on the last day of the
second preceding fortnight”.
3. “37 C. During the transition period of three days i.e., December 13-15,
2025, the maintenance of CRR and SLR is to be done by the banks,
based on the Net Demand and Time Liabilities (NDTL) as on
November 28, 2025. Further, the banks shall maintain minimum CRR
of not less than hundred per cent of the required CRR during the
transition period.The banks shall also submit Form B return for
December 12, 2025, as per the extant reporting structure. Further, the
banks are advised to submit Form I return of December 2025 on CIMS
portal, both with old and new return codes.”
(ix) In paragraph 38, the words 'each alternate Friday' shall be substituted with
‘last day of each fortnight'.
(x) In Annex I (Form B), the word ‘Friday’ / ‘that Friday’ shall be substituted with
‘last day of the fortnight’ / ‘last day of that fortnight’.
(xi) In Annex II (Form I),
• the ‘First alternate Friday’, ‘Second alternate Friday’, ‘Third alternate
Friday’ shall be substituted with ‘15th day of the Month’ and ‘Last day of
the Month’.
3• the word ‘Friday’ / ‘an alternate Friday’ shall be substituted with ‘day’ / ‘last
day of the fortnight’
• in appendix III to Form I, the word ‘Friday’ in the title shall be deleted.
(xii) In Annex III, the word ‘Friday’ shall be substituted with ‘day’.
Yours faithfully,
(Manoranjan Padhy)
Chief General Manager
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