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Govt meets fiscal deficit target of 3.5% at Rs 5.92 trillion for 2017-18

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Govt meets fiscal deficit target of 3.5% at Rs 5.92 trillion for 2017-18
Nayar said the revival in investment activity was not broadbased because fresh capacity was being added by companies only in a few sectors. "Other indicators offered differing trends, such as the 7.1 per cent contraction observed in the capital spending of a sample of 10 state governments (Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh) in the fourth quarter of 2017-18. Moreover, the value of new projects and completed projects contracted on a year-on-year basis in during the quarter," she added.
Government spending growth, shown by public administration, defence and other Services touched 13.3 per cent, against 7.7 per cent in the previous quarter.The fiscal deficit target for 2017-18 was revised to 3.5 per cent of GDP from 3.2 per cent due to lower-than-expected revenue from the GST that was rolled out from July 1, and less-than-anticipated dividend from the Reserve Bank of India.
GST collections in the first nine months after the roll-out stood at Rs 7.41 trillion, where the average monthly collections turned out to be lower than the initial targets set by the government.Sound macroeconomic management by the government was boosting growth and investment in India, said Bibek Debroy, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister.
With the banking sector weighed down by rising non-performing assets (NPAs), 11 public sector lenders were put under the Reserve Bank of India's Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework. This led to a 5 per cent decline in the financial sector and allied services in the fourth quarter against 6.9 per cent in the previous quarter. Trade and hotel services growth also declined to 6.8 per cent, from 8.5 per cent in the same period a year ago.
The manufacturing sector grew 9.1 per cent during the fourth quarter, against 8.5 per cent in the third quarter, suggesting that companies had adjusted well to the GST after the 1.8 per cent contraction recorded in the first quarter of 2017-18 during the transition to the GST.
Mining activity posted growth of 2.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 1.4 per cent in the previous quarter.Private final consumption expenditure growth, an indication of domestic demand, grew 6.6 per cent in the fourth quarter, against 7.3 per cent in the third quarter.The government had originally forecast GDP growth for the fiscal year in the range of 6.75-7.5 per cent, but later said the lower band looked more realistic.Agriculture growth rose to 4.5 per cent in the fourth quarter, the highest quarterly growth in 2017-18, from 3.1 per cent in the previous quarter.

The Business Standard, New Delhi, 1st June 2018

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