Mumbai, Jun 4 (IANS): In a move to support small and medium businesses in their credit requirements, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a special liquidity facility of Rs 16,000 crore for Small Industries Development Bank of India(SIDBI).

This comes over and above the Rs 15,000 crore liquidity support announced in April.

This facility is expected support the MSMEs amid the current Covid crisis and the lockdowns across states.

"In order to meet MSMEs' short- and medium-term credit needs to kick start the investment cycle with additional focus on smaller MSMEs and businesses including those in credit deficient and aspirational districts, it has been decided to provide a further special liquidity facility of Rs 16,000 crore to SIDBI," said Statement on Developmental and Regulatory Policies.

It noted that the facility would be extended for on-lending and refinancing through novel models and structures including double intermediation, pooled bond, loan issuances among others.

The facility will be available at the prevailing policy repo rate for a period of up to one year. RBI said that it may consider further extension of the facility depending on its usage.

On April 7, 2021, the central bank had extended fresh support of Rs 50,000 crore to All India Financial Institutions (AIFIs) for new lending in 2021-22, in a bid to nurture the growth impulses of the economy.

It included a special liquidity facility of Rs 25,000 crore to National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Rs 10,000 crore to the National Housing Bank (NHB) and liquidity facility worth Rs 15,000 crore to SIDBI.