The governor of the Reserve Bank of India is the chief executive officer of India's central bank and the ex-officio chair of its Central Board of Directors. The Governor of RBI by convention to be considered as equivalent to Minister of State (MoS). Indian Rupee currency notes, issued by the Reserve Bank of India, bear the governor's signature. Since its establishment in 1935, the RBI has been headed by twenty-sixgovernors. The governor is a member of the Strategic Policy Group headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. It is a crucial wing of the National Security Council.
The inaugural officeholder was the Australian banker Sir Osborne Smith, while Sir C. D. Deshmukh was the first native Indian governor. Sir Benegal Rama Rau was the longest-serving governor, Holding office for over seven years. while Amitav Ghosh's 20-day term is the shortest. The bank's fifteenthgovernor, Manmohan Singh, later became India's thirteenth prime minister. Sanjay Malhotra is the twenty-sixth governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 11 December 2024.