Inflation cannot be controlled without sacrificing some growth: Subbarao

15 Jun 2012 Evaluate

With the pressure mounting for a rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its mid-quarter monetary policy review on June 18, Governor D Subbarao has said, inflation cannot be controlled without sacrificing some growth. The statement comes on a day when inflation for the month of May witnessed a surge to 7.55% from 7.23% seen in the previous month.

After the disappointing industrial production data, which registered a sluggish growth of 0.1% in April, market-men were expecting a cut in key policy rate (repo rate) to cut down cost of borrowings. However, with the annual rate of inflation, based on the wholesale prices index (WPI), inching up, it is now believed that the apex bank would have a difficult task in balancing growth and inflation in its monetary policy review.

Earlier, the RBI had slashed the key lending rate by 50 basis points to 8% after conteneously raising it for 13 times since March 2010 with an aim to control the stubborn inflation, which was hovering in double-digits for entire 2011. It also reduced the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for banks 0.75% to 4.75% in March to infuse liquidity in the market. Moreover, the apex bank also called for fiscal steps by the government to control inflation.

Earlier this week, even the finance ministry pitched for a CRR cut mainly on the back of economic growth falling to a nine-year-low of 6.5% in the 2011-12 fiscal. The RBI, on the other hand, expects inflation to be around 6.5% by March 2013, with a warning that it would remain sticky and there is a need to arrest the decline in economic growth.

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