Page 2 - Indian Economy

Repo rate status quo shows RBI's continued focus on inflation over growth

Monetary policy support to growth will be limited

Insurance Amendment Bill proposing 100% FDI unlikely in winter session

Insurance Amendment Bill, which proposes 100 per cent FDI in the insurance sector, may not be introduced in Parliament in the ongoing session, sources said. Some finetuning may be required in the draft Bill after receiving comments from stakeholders, sources said. Given the paucity of time, it is difficult to present the Bill in the ongoing session, sources said, adding it may, however, come in the Budget session. The finance ministry has proposed to amend various provisions of the Insurance Act, of 1938, including raising foreign direct investment (FDI) in the insurance sector to 100 per cent, reduction in paid-up capital, and provision for composite licence. The Department of Financial Services (DFS) has sought public comments on the proposed amendments by December 10. As per the proposal, the FDI limit in Indian insurance companies will be raised from 74 per cent to 100 per cent. This is the second public consultation that the DFS has sought on the proposed amendments to the .

CII urges govt to stick to fiscal deficit target of 4.9% of GDP for 2024-25

Industry body CII has suggested the government to stick to the fiscal deficit target of 4.9 per cent of GDP for 2024-25 and 4.5 per cent for 2025-26, cautioning that "overly aggressive targets" beyond these could adversely affect India's economic growth. "India has been growing rapidly amidst a slowing global economy. Prudent fiscal management for macroeconomic stability has been pivotal to this growth," said Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, elaborating on suggestions for the forthcoming Union Budget. CII also highlighted the announcement in the Union Budget 2024-25 to keep the fiscal deficit at levels that help reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio. In preparation for this, the forthcoming budget could lay out a glide path to bring the central government's debt to below 50 per cent of GDP in the medium term (by 2030-31), and below 40 per cent of GDP in the long term, CII has suggested. Such an explicit target will have a positive impact on India's sovereign credit rating and ...

IPO frenzy: 5 main-board, 6 SMEs to hit market to raise Rs 18,500 cr

The IPO market is set to be bustling next week, with 11 companies like Vishal Mega Mart, TPG Capital-backed Sai Life Sciences and fintech firm One Mobikwik Systems gearing up to launch their initial share sales, collectively aiming to raise nearly Rs 18,500 crore. Other mainboard IPOs to be launched during this period are Inventurus Knowledge Solutions Ltd and Blackstone-owned diamond grading firm International Gemmological Institute (India) Ltd. Alongside the five main-board IPOs, six SMEs are preparing to float their maiden public issues next week to garner over Rs 150 crore collectively. Together, these 11 companies aim to raise approximately Rs 18,500 crore through public offerings. These IPOs will span various sectors and deal sizes and include fresh issues and offers for sale. The companies are tapping the primary market to provide an exit route to the existing shareholders, raise funds for expansion plans, retire debt and support working capital requirements. Trivesh D, CO

India set to become $30 trillion-economy by 2047: Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has asserted that India will become a USD 30 trillion-economy by 2047. Delivering a lecture at the concluding function of XLRI-School of Management's year-long platinum jubilee celebration here on Saturday, Pradhan said that India, the fastest-growing global economy, is currently in the fifth position and will bag the third spot in the next three years. "The world didn't even count India on the economic front when XLRI came into being 75 years ago. Today, we are the fastest-growing economy and fifth-largest economy in the world, with a size of US 3 trillion. We will be the third-largest economy in the next three years at USD 5 trillion. Our economy will grow to USD 30 trillion by 2047," he said. "We have to be wealth creators, job creators. We have the potential to create millions of jobs. The world is looking at India for digital public infrastructure... 46 per cent of digital transactions in the world take place in our country. We have .

India's inclusive growth lauded by international community: K Subramanian

The world is bullish on India, the country's top economist, currently executive director of the International Monetary Fund has said, noting that India's public digital infrastructure and inclusive growth is not only being talked about but also applauded by the international community. I think the Indian economy has been growing overall very well. Post-COVID, the growth rate has consistently been seven per cent. Of course, there's been a little bit of a dip this quarter. Partly it is because of the slowdown in capital expenditures. That itself is because of some of the election cycles. Also, there's been some impact on exports. But I expect this dip to be temporary, Krishnamurthy V Subramanian, Executive Director at IMF. From the vantage point that I've been sitting on the IMF board, I have no hesitation in saying the world is bullish on India. The kind of public digital infrastructure that India has enacted, is something that almost every of my board colleagues often finds a mention

Monetary policy review: A cautiously dovish, par-for-the-course policy

In his interaction with the media, Das described the CRR cut as "normalisation" of its level. It was raised to 4.5 per cent in April 2022 when the last policy-tightening cycle started

Copper industry to see 10-13% spurt in demand in H2FY25: ICA India

Coming calendar year may see change in trade partner dynamics for copper rods, concentrate imports

RBI to launch podcasts for wider dissemination of info to general public

In recent years, the Reserve Bank has significantly expanded its public awareness initiatives, including active engagement on social media platforms

India's growth offers great opportunities to US investors: KV Subramanian

Of the belief that India is headed to be a USD 55 trillion economy by 2047, India's Executive Director at the IMF Dr K V Subramanian on Thursday said India's growth offers phenomenal opportunities to American investors. Subramanian said this during the launch of his latest book India@100: Envisioning Tomorrow's Economic Powerhouse. The opportunities that are available for the American investors actually are phenomenal., I don't think there is any other economy that is actually going to be providing this kind of return over the next 20 to 25 years, he said at the launch event organised by US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF) here. Investors who have an eye on India have the opportunity to actually not double but triple their money, the top economist said. They have the opportunity to grow their money 15 to 20 times, I think that is something that is important, said Subramanian, who previously was India's Chief Economic Advisor. In his book, Subramanian explores how In

The Railways Amendment Bill 2024 seeks to simplify legal framework

Opposition fears privatisation

Centre says talks are the only solution as farmers march to Delhi on Friday

The administration has already imposed Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, restricting assembly of five or more persons in the district and issued notices at the protest site

Potential shifts in US trade policy to affect trade in 2025: Unctad

Tariffs imposed on specific segments of global value chains often have a ripple effect, impacting not only the targeted industries and countries, but also the entire value chain

Rupee weakness will not deter RBI from cutting rates, says Nomura

Nomura noted that high prices were concentrated in a few items, including food, rather than being broad-based, and that inflation excluding vegetables and other volatile items was still subdued

Improving GDP calculations: Why accurate national accounts matter

Methodology concerns must be addressed in the new seriesAttention to India's national accounts statistics is overdue, and it is welcome news that the government is taking steps to bring it up to date

Climate change affects financial system, need regulatory checks: RBI Dy Guv

Rao emphasised that the financial sector lacks comprehensive data to assess climate risks fully

India's external debt rises by $31 bn to $647 bn in 2023: World Bank report

India's total external debt has increased by USD 31 billion to USD 646.79 billion in 2023, according to World Bank International Debt Report. The report further said that interest payment increased from USD 15.08 billion in 2022 to USD 22.54 billion in 2023. While the long-term debt stocks have risen 7 per cent to USD 498 billion in 2023, short-term debt stocks declined marginally to USD 126.32 billion in 2023. According to the report, external debt stock as percentage of exports was 80 per cent, while debt servicing was 10 per cent of exports in 2023. The World Bank International Debt Report, 2024, further said that net debt inflows during the year worked out to be USD 33.42 billion, while the net equity inflows was higher at USD 46.94 billion in 2023.

Keep interest of economy before revenue in tax notices: Revenue secy

Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra on Wednesday askedI officers to nab the masterminds behind smuggling rackets, but keep the interest of the economy in mind before issuing high-pitched notices in commercial fraud cases. Addressing the 67th foundation day of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Malhotra also said it is vital for the department to upgrade skills and manpower to adapt to the technology changes. He urged theI officers to focus energy on big fish and masterminds and bust syndicates in smuggling operations. However, Malhotra added that the officers have to be "very careful" while taking action against traders or businesses involved in potential commercial fraud cases. During 2023-24,I has detected duty evasion through misclassification and misdeclaration of goods, worth Rs 10,000 crore. He said there could be a technical nature of some tax demands and classification disputes rampant across the industry on some goods, which could lead to a very high-pitched dem

Family businesses key for India's $5 trillion economy: Jitendra Singh

The role of family businesses is indispensable in achieving India's vision of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy and a developed nation by 2047, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday. Family businesses are the backbone of India's economy, contributing more than 70 per cent to the GDP and employing a significant portion of the workforce, he said. "By 2047, this share is expected to rise to 80-85 per cent, highlighting their critical role in shaping the nation's future," the Union minister of state for personnel said. Addressing industry leaders at the Moneycontrol Family Business Awards - 2024, Singh "emphasised the indispensable role of family enterprises in achieving India's vision of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy and a developed nation by 2047, a mission spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi". The minister delved on schemes such as PM-Vishwakarma, which he said was best suited for corroborating the traditional family business in the nation, according to a ministr

Rupee recovers losses after hitting new intraday low of 84.76 per dollar

Market participants said that the RBI might have sold around $2 billion today, which helped the domestic currency cut losses