Exchange Rate Management : The Indian Experience

India's exchange rate policy has evolved in line with international and domestic developments. Post-independence, in view of the prevailing Bretton Woods system, the Indian rupee was pegged to the pound sterling due to its historic links with Britain. A major development was the devaluation of the rupee by 36.5 per cent in June 1966. With the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system, and also the declining share of UK in India's trade the rupee was delinked from the pound sterling in September 1975. During the period between 1975 to 1992, the exchange rate of the rupee was officially determined by the Reserve Bank within a nominal band of plus or minus 5 per cent of the weighted basket of currencies of India's major trading partners. The Reserve Bank intervened on a day-to-day basis which resulted in wide changes in the size of reserves. The exchange rate regime of this period can be described as an adjustable nominal peg with a band.

The beginning of 1990s saw significant rise in oil prices and suspension of remittances from the Gulf region in the wake of the Gulf crisis. This and other domestic and International developments, led to severe balance of payments problems in India. The drying up of access to commercial banks and short-tern credit made financing the current account deficit difficult. India's foreign currency reserves fell rapidly from US S 3.1 billion in August to US S 975 million on July 12, 1991.

In 1990, there was a severe balance of payment problem in India mainly due to

Rise in oil Prices

The correct answer is option (3) : Rise in oil Prices

The passage mentions that the severe balance of payment problem in 1990 was mainly due to Rise in oil Prices.

The increase in oil prices during that period had a significant impact on India's economy, as it led to higher import costs for oil, which is a crucial commodity for India's energy needs. This increase in import costs contributed to a widening current account deficit and put pressure on India's foreign exchange reserves.