WB retains India growth forecast at 6.3% for 2023-24
The HinduThe World Bank on Tuesday retained India’s growth forecast at 6.3% for the year 2023-24 saying the expected moderation was due to challenging external conditions and waning pent-up demand. According to the World Bank’s Country Director in India Auguste Tano Kouame, for India to become a high-income country, one of the critical aspects required would be a higher female labour force participation rate. “An adverse global environment will continue to pose challenges in the short-term,” Mr. Tano Kouame, World Bank’s Country Director in India said. “Tapping public spending that crowds in more private investments will create more favorable conditions for India to seize global opportunities in the future and thus achieve higher growth.” “The volume of foreign direct investment is also likely to grow in India as rebalancing of the global value chain continues.” The Bank said that it expected fiscal consolidation to continue in the current year with the central government’s fiscal deficit projected to continue to decline from 6.4% to 5.9% of GDP.