On May 21, Reserve Bank of India announced a significantly higher than expected surplus transfer to the government. The amount of Rs 99,122 crore for nine months ended March 31 will be accrued in the central government's balance sheet for 2021-22 and comes as a big fiscal breather as the government is expecting a significant drop in tax collections due to the raft of second wave COVID-19 lockdowns. The centre had targeted dividends by RBI, state-owned banks and financial institutions of Rs 53,510.6 crore for current fiscal year. The surplus transfer from RBI, likely due to higher forex income and open market operations, is Rs 45,611 crore more than the target and will help the government which is also struggling to meet its disinvestment targets.