Exports segment need to include under priority sector lending category: Suresh Prabhu

30 Jul 2018 Evaluate

In order to promote exports in India, the Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has said that exports segment needs to include under the priority sector lending category. He said ‘Exports is a strategic issue which promotes India’s interest and therefore it is a strategic priority for India (but) not a priority sector lending for banking sector. This is a complete paradox.’ He added that this is not a commercial banking problem, but the one related to the regulator.

Prabhu further said that this issue has been taken up with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He added that ‘I have already told the RBI governor that you must treat exports as priority sector lending’. He also said ‘Banking is a very important issue and we must address it and we will continue to work on it and make sure that the genuine credit requirements of the sector are met’. He explained that, amid the current operating environment, treating exports under the priority sector lending will help India achieve the target of becoming a $10 trillion economy by 2035. He said with joint efforts of the government, industry and other stakeholders, India will definitely be able to become a $5-trillion economy within 7-8 years and will become a $10 trillion economy by 2035.

The Minister also said ‘We want to grow at a rate which is closer to 8-9%, and it can’t be done without global trade...this is the first time that world trade itself is facing fundamental challenges...the entire edifice of WTO has been challenged, and that the future of the institution is in crisis. This raises the need for us to chart a path forward, based upon international trade as a key driver’. He said the country’s exports in last fiscal were the highest in the last six years and have been growing at a higher rate in the last few months. he added that ‘I think we are now growing at over 20%. If we continue this, India may be able to again register record growth in exports this fiscal as well’.

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