IANS | 22 Mar, 2024
Robust investment activity and strengthening private consumption
demand is driving growth in the Indian economy amidst the sluggish
global growth, according to the Finance Ministry’s monthly review
released on Friday.
The strong demand is evident from indicators like burgeoning air
passenger traffic and sale of passenger vehicles, rising digital
payments, improved consumer confidence and expectations of a normal
monsoon, the report states.
Increased demand for residential
properties in tier-2 and tier-3 cities augers well for furthering
construction activity. Non-farm employment has revived, improving the
capacity to absorb the labour leaving agriculture. The ascent of
manufacturing sector employment is expected to be marked by upscaling of
enterprises and sunrise sectors emerging as catalysts for generating
quality employment, the report points out.
India's inflation
outlook for the upcoming months is positive. Core inflation is trending
downwards, indicating a broad-based moderation in price pressures. The
pick-up in summer sowing is likely to help reduce food prices, the
report states.
On the external front, the narrowing merchandise
trade deficit and the rising net services receipts are expected to
result in an improvement in the current account balance in FY24.
In
FY25, however, the current account deficit will bear watching. An
increase in domestic household savings will be necessary to finance
private sector capital formation in the economy, the report states.
Improving
global investor confidence on India has started reflecting in foreign
portfolio investment flows. The announcement by Bloomberg that India
would be included in its bond index from January 2025 should bolster
inflows, buoyed by the fiscal prudence that the government has
demonstrated over the years. Bond investors will base their investment
decisions based on their perception of its persistence. On the whole,
India looks positively towards the dawn of FY25, it adds.