SME Times News Bureau | 31 Mar, 2014
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI) Sunday said a survey by it pointed to improved economic growth in the
next fiscal.
"The GDP growth for the year 2014-15 is projected at 5.5 percent. The
participating economists expect the industrial sector to also recover in the
next fiscal with an estimated growth of 3.3 percent," the industry chamber
said in a statement here.
Agriculture and services sector growth in the next financial year is pegged at
3.3 percent and 7 per cent, respectively, according to FICCI's 'Economic
Outlook Survey'.
It also estimates that growth in the fourth quarter of the current fiscal will
pick up marginally to five percent.
"However, this might imply that actual growth in the year 2013-14 will be slightly
lower than the growth of 4.9 percent projected by the Central Statistical
Organization some time back," the chamber said.
On inflation, it said that a majority of the surveyed felt that going ahead
both the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based
inflation rates would remain range-bound.
The median forecast for fiscal deficit as a percent of gross domestic product
(GDP) stands at 4.4 percent for 2014-15. This is higher than the 4.1 percent
estimate announced last month by Finance minister P. Chidambaram in the interim
budget.
The government's subsidy burden continues to be a bothering factor and can lead
to fiscal slippages, according to the economists polled.
"India’s subsidy burden has ballooned considerably in the past few years
and it is imperative that we take a firm stand and restrict unproductive
subsidies," the statement said.
"The government must also allow market forces to play a fuller role in
determining the price of fuel products in particular," it added.
On the external sector, the survey pegs current account deficit to remain in
the comfort zone at 2.2 percent in 2014-15.
On the prospects for the industrial sector, the participating economists in the
survey cited the high cost of borrowing and delays in government approvals as
the key reasons hindering investments.