RBI to pick up the slack to revive flagging economic growth: FM

15 Dec 2011 Evaluate

Just before of the Reserve Bank of India’s monetary policy review, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, our own fight against inflation has taken toll on investments by our corporations. The RBI, in order to control headline inflation, which has been hovering near by two digit mark from 12 months, has increased its key policy rates by 13 times. However, this non-stop increase in interest rate has increased the cost of capital, which has resulted in slowdown in investment rates.
 
Mukherjee said, 'we must turn our attention now to reviving growth as quickly as possible.’ Our monthly industrial growth has slowed down sharply. This is partly a reflection of global trends, but the fight against inflation has affected the investments scenario by our corporations.'

The government's efforts to wipe out the opposition’s perception that there's a policy paralysis is suffering blow after blow. After forcing the government to discard its plans to allow 51% foreign investment in multi-brand retail, an Opposition-headed parliamentary panel further rejected raising FDI limit in insurance. Now, the government, which is disillusioned by the opposition parties, seems to be leaning on RBI. The chief economic advisor to the FM Kaushik Basu said, 'we need to pull out of the industrial slowdown as soon as possible.'

Incompatible policies on mining, fuel allocation, environment goals and subsidies have put off entrepreneurs. Industrial growth contracted more than 5%, the worst since the credit crisis. However, the RBI is in difficult situation as it has to control high inflation, which for the month of November fell to 9.11% from 9.72% in last month, still above RBI’s comfort zone.

With RBI’s calculations gone wrong in the past, it is determined to bring down the rate of price rise to 7% by maintaining high interest rates. However, it also indicated that it may not increase the interest rates on December 16, the chance of cutting rates are less as other central banks have begun to fight the slowdown induced by the European sovereign crisis by reducing rates.  

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