Inflation of around 9% is inimical to growth: Subbarao

27 Sep 2011 Evaluate

Dr. D Subbarao, justifying the Reserve Bank of India’s monetary policy stance on the hovering inflation, said that the inflation at around 9% is inimical to growth.

The RBI Governor said that while modest inflation can help boost growth, rapid growth in price pressures requires tighter monetary policy. The headline inflation has been hovering around 9% from last nine months. The headline inflation measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) stood at 9.78% for the month of August from 9.22% in last month.

In order to cap inflation RBI has increased its key policy rates by 12 times in last 18 months. Due to increased interest rates the investment activities have been declined as a result affecting the pace of Economic growth.

'If inflation is below 6% , there's probably an argument that we can tolerate a bit of higher inflation, but when it is around 9%, as it is (in India), we are way past the threshold,' Subbarao said. 'There is no question, inflation is inimical to growth,” he added.

On the issue of current global economy situation, Subbarao said that the policymakers around the world lack the monetary and fiscal fire power they possessed in 2008 to fight a renewed global slowdown. Central banks and governments today 'have no fire power left: governments cannot raise fiscal stimulus and central banks have exhausted most conventional and unconventional' policies,' he added.

On the issue of the growth in emerging and slowdown in developed economies, the RBI Governor said, is the different stages of the business cycle seen in major world economies. Emerging markets such as India are still growing at a healthy clip while Europe, Japan and the United States are growing more slowly.

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