Increase in current account deficit not matter of concern: Finance Minister

10 Dec 2014 Evaluate

Amid rising concerns over the widening current account deficit (CAD), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has asserted that the rise in the current account deficit (CAD) was not a cause for concern because of the comfortable foreign exchange reserve position of the country. Finance Minister further added that the government would consider tightening measures only in extreme cases, as over-regulation of gold imports could push the yellow metal into the grey market.

India's Current Account Deficit (CAD) for the second quarter of the current financial year widened to $10.1 billion or 2.1% of GDP against 1.2% of GDP in the same quarter the previous year. The CAD in Q2FY15 increased on account of the higher trade deficit contributed by the deceleration in export growth and increase in imports mainly gold. CAD is a major macro-economic problem which creates volatility in currency and the domestic equity markets. Despite the expansion, CAD is well within RBI's comfort zone of 2.5% of GDP.

Recently, the government removed restrictions on gold imports abolishing the 80:20 import rule under which 20 per cent of all imported gold had to be mandatorily exported before any new shipments could be brought in. The move is expected to cut smuggling and raise legal shipments into the world’s second-biggest consumer of the yellow metal after China.

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