India's foreign exchange reserves (forex) increased $2.98 billion to $648.562 billion for the week ended April 5, data released by the the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed on Friday, April 12.

• This is the seventh consecutive week of a jump in overall reserves. In the previous reporting week, the forex kitty had increased by $2.951 billion to $645.583 billion, which was an all-time high.
• In September 2021, the country's forex kitty reached an all-time high of $642.453 billion, a level that was breached in March this year.
• The reserves took a hit as the central bank deployed the kitty to defend the rupee amid pressures caused majorly by global events, but there has been a steady accretion over the past few months.