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ADB Sharply Cuts India’s GDP Growth Forecast To 6.5% For FY20

The growth forecasts for South Asia are also lowered to 6.2 percent for FY20.

Tourists gather at the Gateway of India arch-monument near the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)
Tourists gather at the Gateway of India arch-monument near the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai. (Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)

The Asian Development Bank sharply cut India's growth forecast to 6.5 percent for the current fiscal, weighed down by the gross domestic product growth rate dipping to a six-year low in the first quarter.

"India's growth forecast for fiscal year 2019 [FY20] is lowered to 6.5 percent after growth slowed markedly to 5 percent in the first quarter, April-June," said the Asian Development Outlook 2019 Update.

In its supplement to the outook in July, the Manila-headquartered multi-lateral funding agency cut the country's GDP growth estimate to 7 percent for 2019-20 on the back of fiscal shortfall concerns.

Abrupt declines in manufacturing and investment reflect uncertainty ahead of general elections, subdued lending by banks and other financial institutions, stress in the rural economy, and a weakening external outlook, it said.

India is expected to rebound to 7.2 percent growth in fiscal 2020 [FY21] and join most other subregional countries in performing at or near their ADO 2019 growth forecasts for next year.
ADB Outlook

South Asia's growth momentum has softened, according to the latest ADO. The growth forecasts are lowered to 6.2 percent for 2019 and 6.7 percent for 2020 for the region, it said.

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