Q2 growth ‘a temporary blip’, no generalised slowdown in factories, Finance Minister asserts
The HinduFinance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday dismissed concerns about a cyclical growth slowdown and a generalised downturn in India’s manufacturing sector, terming the disappointing 5.4% second quarter growth numbers as a ‘temporary blip’ caused by a multitude of factors, including the conduct of the general elections and the alignment of festival calendars this year compared to 2023-24. Responding to the debate in the Lok Sabha on the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2024-25, that entail a net cash outgo of ₹ 44,182.87 crore, Ms. Sitharaman also asserted that the Union Government remains committed to better management of food inflation, where prices of some food products are volatile owing to weather vagaries. The Minister said she is optimistic about further ‘softening of food inflation pressures’ in light of an expected increase in kharif food grain output as per the first advance estimates of farm output in 2024-25, even as the government is making efforts to build buffers for key food items such as cereals and pulses. Noting that India’s real growth rate in this year has been 6.7% and 5.4% in the first and second quarters of 2024-25, the Minister conceded that the Q2 rate is slower than was expected.