Repo rate is the rate at which banks borrow funds from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) through repurchase agreements, while reverse repo rate is the rate at which RBI borrows funds from banks. RBI uses these rates to control money supply and liquidity in the banking system. Repo rate impacts interest rates charged by banks on loans, affecting common citizens. Repo rate is always higher than reverse repo rate to avoid arbitrage opportunities where banks could profit risk-free. RBI decides these rates to influence monetary policy.