Economy : Financial Market Instruments

Q 13 / 16

UPSC CSE Prelims 2018

Consider the following statements :
  1. The Reserve Bank of India manages and services Government of India Securities but not any State Government Securities.
  2. Treasury bills are issued by the Government of India and there are no treasury bills issued by the State Governments.
  3. Treasury bills offer are issued at a discount from the par value.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

EXPLANATION

Correct Option (c)

Statements 2 and 3 are correct.

Statement 2: Treasury bills (T-bills) are short-term money market instruments issued exclusively by the Government of India to meet its short-term funding requirements. State Governments do not issue treasury bills; they raise market borrowings primarily through State Development Loans (SDLs).

Statement 3: Treasury bills are zero-coupon instruments, meaning they do not pay interest directly. Instead, they are issued at a price less than their face value (at a discount) and redeemed at their face value (par value) on maturity. The difference between the issue price and the par value represents the return to the investor.

Incorrect Options

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Reserve Bank of India acts as the debt manager for both the Central Government and State Governments. It manages and services the public debt of both, including Government of India Securities and State Government Securities (State Development Loans).

SOURCEIndian Economy by Ramesh Singh, Chapter 11: Financial Markets