What $650 billion can buy

India's stock of external commercial borrowing, for instance, is in excess of $200 billion

India’s foreign exchange reserves have gone up by over $160 billion since the beginning of the last fiscal year and are currently at about $640 billion. If the trend continues, India could soon have reserves worth over $700 billion. The country clearly has come a long way from the situation it faced in the early 1990s when it narrowly avoided a default. But now that India has one of the largest foreign exchange reserves, the debate has shifted to what it should do with the pool. It is often suggested that reserves should be used to finance infrastructure needs. But