RBI lowers FY20 growth forecast to 7% over slowdown in investment activity
The Reserve Bank of India Thursday lowered the economic growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7 per cent due to slowdown in domestic activities and escalation in global trade war. In the April monetary policy, the growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2019-20 was projected at 7.2 per cent - in the range of 6.8-7.1 per cent for the first half of the fiscal and 7.3-7.4 per cent for the second part - with risks evenly balanced. Data for January-March quarter 2018-19 indicate that domestic investment activity has weakened and overall demand has been weighed down partly by slowing exports, the RBI said after the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which decides on key policy rates. Weak global demand due to escalation in trade wars may further impact India's exports and investment activity, it added. Further, private consumption, especially in rural areas, has weakened in recent months. However, on the positive side, political stability, high capaci