World Bank retains India's growth rate for FY19-20 at 7.5 per cent
Washington: India's economy is projected to grow at 7.5 per cent in the next three years, supported by robust investment and private consumption, the World Bank has forecast, in some good news to the new Indian government.
The bank in its Global Economic Prospects released Tuesday said that India is estimated to have grown 7.2 per cent in fiscal year 2018/19, which ended March 31.
A slowdown in government consumption was offset by solid investment, which benefitted from public infrastructure spending.
As against a growth rate of 6.6 per cent in 2018, China's growth rate in 2019 is projected to be dropped to 6.2 per cent and then subsequently to 6.1 per cent in 2020 and 6 per cent in 2021, the World Bank said.
With this, India will continue to retain the position of being the fastest growing emerging economy. And by 2021, its growth rate is projected to be 1.5 per cent more than China's 6 per cent.
The World Bank's report came as a good news for India days after Data from Central Statistics Office (CSO) showed that India's economic growth slowed to a five-year low of 5.8 per cent in fourth quarter of 2018-19, pushing the country behind China.
The decline in the economic activity has been attributed by the CSO to steep decline in growth in agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
According to the World Bank, growth in India is projected at 7.5 per cent in Fiscal Year 2019/20 (April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020), unchanged from the previous forecast, and to stay at this pace through the next two fiscal years.
"Private consumption and investment will benefit from strengthening credit growth amid more accommodative monetary policy, with inflation having fallen below the Reserve Bank of India's target, it said.
Support from delays in planned fiscal consolidation at the central level should partially offset the effects of political uncertainty around elections in FY2018/19, it said.
The World Bank said that India's urban consumption was supported by a pickup in credit growth, whereas rural consumption was hindered by soft agricultural prices.
On the production side, robust growth was broad-based, with a slight moderation in services and agricultural activity accompanied by an acceleration in the industrial sector. Weakening agricultural production reflected subdued harvest in major crops on the back of less rainfalls, it said.
Services activity softened mainly due to slowing trade, hotel, transport, and communication activity. The industrial sector benefited from strong manufacturing and construction with solid demand for capital goods. The slowing momentum in economic activity in late 2018 carried into the first quarter of 2019, as suggested by softening services and manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Indexes, the report said.
Observing that the new Goods and Services Tax regime is still in the process of being fully established, creating some uncertainty about the projections of government revenues, the report said fiscal deficits continue to exceed official targets in some countries -- India, Pakistan.
The World Bank's report came as New Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the first budget of the Narendra Modi 2.0 government on July 5. The former defence minister, who inherits a fractured economy, is expected to accelerate the reform process.
In her budget, 59-year-old Sitharaman will have to address slowing economy, financial sector troubles like rising Non-performing Assets and liquidity crisis in non banking financial companies, job creation, private investments, exports revival, agrarian crisis and raise public investment without compromising on fiscal prudence.
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US pauses visa processing for individuals from 75 countries
New York/Washington (PTI): The Trump administration on Wednesday announced pausing immigrant visa processing for individuals from 75 countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Russia, as part of increasing crackdown on foreigners likely to rely on public benefits in the US.
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the State Department said in a post on X.
“The Trump administration will PAUSE immigrant visa processing from 75 countries until the US can ensure that incoming immigrants will not become a public charge or extract wealth from American taxpayers. AMERICA FIRST,” the White House said in a post on X.
“The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people. The pause impacts dozens of countries – including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea – whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival. We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused," the State Department said.
"The Trump Administration will always put America First," the State Department added.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement, "The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people."
A report in the Fox News said that the pause will begin from January 21.
The State Department memo, seen first by Fox News Digital, directs “consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures”.
The list of countries include Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
The Fox News report added that in November 2025, a State Department cable sent to missions around the globe instructed consular officers to “enforce sweeping new screening rules under the so-called "public charge" provision of immigration law.
The guidance had instructed US consular officers across the world to deem those individuals seeking to enter and live in the US ineligible if they have certain medical conditions, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, saying these people could end up relying on public benefits.
The foreigners applying for visas to live in the US “might be rejected if they have certain medical conditions”. “You must consider an applicant’s health…Certain medical conditions – including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions – can require hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of care,” the cable had said.
The cable also advised visa officers to consider conditions like obesity in making their decisions, noting that the condition can cause asthma, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.
The guidance directed "visa officers to deem applicants ineligible to enter the US for several new reasons, including age or the likelihood they might rely on public benefits.
The guidance says that such people could become a “public charge” — "a potential drain on US resources — because of their health issues or age”.
The report added that older or overweight applicants could be denied, along with those who had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalisation.
