"Based on the current assessment of prevailing and evolving liquidity conditions, the Reserve Bank has decided to conduct purchase of government securities under Open Market Operations (OMOs) for an aggregate amount of Rs 150 billion on March 10, 2016," the RBI said in a notification.
As part of the OMOs, the RBI will purchase government securities maturing in 2018 (bearing interest rate of 7.83 per cent), 2020 (8.12 per cent), 2023 (8.83 per cent) and 2025 (7.72 per cent), 2027 (8.28 per cent) and 2030 (7.88 per cent).
There is an overall aggregate ceiling of Rs 150 billion for all the securities in the basket put together, the RBI added.
OMOs are market operations conducted by RBI by way of sale/purchase of government securities to/from the market with an objective to adjust the rupee liquidity conditions in the market on a durable basis.
If there is excess liquidity, the RBI resorts to sale of securities and sucks out the rupee liquidity. Similarly, when the liquidity conditions are tight, the central bank buys securities from the market, thereby releasing liquidity into the market.