Read IMF report on progess under NDA: Jaitley
New Delhi, Aug 26 : Referring to the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) report on India, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said that it was only with NDA coming to power in 2014 that the economy had undergone a transformational change.
In postings over both Twitter and Facebook, Jaitley, who resumed his duties earlier this week, said that a comparison of the data released in 2014 and 2018 proved that high inflation, fiscal deficit and current account deficit, besides a standstill in the infrastructure and power sectors, as well as in allocation of natural resources, were some of the failures of the previous UPA government.
"We have come a long way. The last four years have seen a series of reforms, both legislative and otherwise, which have been carried on by the Government. The system has been substantially cleaned up and made more transparent," Jaitley posted on Facebook.
"Decisiveness has led to easier decision making and made the economy stand out before several other countries. I would urge all to read these two reports (IMF), the copy of which are now publically available," he said.
"The tightening of global liquidity has increased external pressures and heightened the focus on India's macroeconomic imbalances (high inflation, large current account and fiscal deficits) and structural weaknesses (particularly supply bottlenecks in infrastructure, power and mining)," The Finance Minister said regarding the report's references to the situation in 2014.
"Growth is expected to slow to 4.6 per cent this fiscal year, the lowest level in a decade, reflecting global developments and domestic supply constraints. Headline CPI inflation is expected to remain near double digits for the remainder of the fiscal year. The current account deficit is narrowing, driven by a significant improvement in exports, robust remittances flows, and a rapid diminution of gold imports.
"Nonetheless, India has very little room to adopt countercyclical policies, constrained by persistently-high inflation, and sizeable fiscal and external imbalances. Spillovers from renewed external pressures interacting with domestic vulnerabilities are the principal risks," he said referring to the situation in 2018.
"Stability-oriented macroeconomic policies and progress on structural reforms continue to bear fruit. Following disruptions related to the November 2016 currency exchange initiative and the July 2017 goods and service tax (GST) rollout, growth slowed to 6.7 per cent in FY 2017/18, but a recovery is under way led by an investment pickup", he added.
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Govt hikes excise duty on petrol, diesel by Rs 2/litre; no change in retail prices
New Delhi (PTI): The government on Monday hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre each, according to an official order.
The excise duty on petrol was increased to Rs 13 per litre and that on diesel to Rs 10, the order said.
While the order did not say what impact it will have on retail prices, industry sources said retail prices are unlikely to be changed. The increased excise duty is likely to be adjusted against the cut in petrol and diesel prices that was warranted because of a fall in international oil prices.
