India’s current account deficit (CAD) at US$ 3.4 billion (0.6 per cent of GDP) in Q4 of 2016-17 was higher than US$ 0.3 billion (0.1 per cent of GDP) in Q4 of 2015-16 but narrowed from US$ 8.0 billion (1.4 per cent of GDP) in the preceding quarter. For 2016-17 full year, the current account deficit (CAD) narrowed down to 0.7 per cent of GDP from 1.1 per cent of GDP in 2015-16. Quarterly data on India’s CAD are given in Table 1.
Table 1: India's Current Account Balance
Quarters
|
CAD (US$ billion)
|
CAD as Per cent of GDP
|
2015-16 Q1
|
-6.1
|
-1.2
|
2015-16 Q2
|
-8.5
|
-1.7
|
2015-16 Q3
|
-7.1
|
-1.4
|
2015-16 Q4
|
-0.3
|
-0.1
|
2016-17 Q1
|
-0.4
|
-0.1
|
2016-17 Q2
|
-3.4
|
-0.6
|
2016-17 Q3
|
-8.0
|
-1.4
|
2016-17 Q4
|
-3.4
|
-0.6
|
Source: India's Balance of Payments Statistics
| ||
The widening of the CAD in Q4 of 2016-17 on a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis was on account of a higher trade deficit (US$ 29.7 billion) due to a larger increase in merchandise imports relative to exports. High increase in imports of Petroleum, Oil & Lubricants (POL) and gold & silver imports led to the rise in imports in Q4 of 2016-17. Despite the widening in Q4 of 2016-17, the CAD is low and within manageable limits. The Government and the RBI closely monitor the emerging external economic situation including CAD and calibrate policies on an on-going basis.
This was stated by Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Finance in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Courtesy: pib.nic.in
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