(a) the details of Foreign Exchange Reserves (FER) in the country during each of the last three years and the current year;
(b) whether there has been a surge in FER in the recent past largely on account of slash in international oil prices; and
(c) if so, the details thereof, and if not the reasons therefor?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI JAYANT SINHA)
(a) Indias foreign exchange reserves comprise foreign currency assets, gold, Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) and Reserve Tranche Position (RTP) with the IMF. The foreign exchange reserves as on 13 February, 2015 stood at US$ 333.2 billion as against US$ 304.2 billion on end-March, 2014 and US$ 292.1 billion on end-March, 2013. The details of Indias foreign exchange reserves during each of the last three years are given below:
Foreign Exchange Reserves (in US$ billion) End of Foreign Currency Gold RTP SDRs Total Financial Year Assets 2011-12 260.1 27 2.8 4.5 294.4 2012-13 259.7 25.7 2.3 4.3 292.1 2013-14 276.4 21.6 1.8 4.5 304.2 2014-15 307.3 20.2 1.6 4.1 333.2 (As on 13.2.2015)(b) & (c) Accretion to foreign exchange reserves is the outcome of excess of capital account balance over the current account balance and valuation gain/ loss. In the recent past, trade deficit witnessed moderation, reflecting the impact of lower crude oil prices, among others. The lower trade and current account deficit coupled with buoyant capital inflows resulted in the increase in foreign exchange reserves in 2013-14 and 2014-15.