RBI launches quarterly survey on order books of manufacturing sector

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced on Friday the launch of its quarterly 'Order Books, Inventories and Capacity Utilisation' survey, aimed at companies in the manufacturing sector. This survey provides essential data for shaping the country's monetary policy.

Initiated in 2008, the OBICUS survey collects detailed quantitative data during the reference quarter (April-June 2024), including new orders received, backlog of orders, and pending orders at quarter-end, alongside detailed inventory breakdowns.

The survey also gathers insights into production levels and capacity changes, estimating capacity utilisation from the responses. The RBI emphasized that all company-level data collected remains confidential.