FM for action at global level to deal with financial crisis

Global community will have to deal collectively with the situation

PTI | September 13, 2011



Concerned over sluggishness in the domestic economy and deepening financial crisis in Europe, Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said the global community can't afford to lose its nerve and will have to deal collectively with the situation.

"A series of bad news are coming. First we had the IIP index (at 3.3 per cent in July) lowest in two years... and (second) lengthening shadow of the Eurozone crisis all over the market in the world is matter of concern. But at the same time, we cannot lose our nerve," he said on sidelines of an Icrier conference.

Describing the high commodity and food prices a threat to growth and food security in energy dependent emerging economy, the minister called for collective global action to overcome the crisis.

"We shall have to work collectively and see that we can overcome the impasse," Mukherjee said.

His comments came a day after the country's industrial production fell to a 21-month low of 3.3 per cent in July, and the likelihood of a sovereign debt default by Greece looming large again.

The developments in Greece have rattled markets globally, with India's BSE benchmark Sensex falling over two per cent Monday.

Mukherjee said the growth in most advanced economies has declined in the second quarter of 2011 and emerging markets are witnessing a combination of moderation in growth and rising inflation.

"There is wide spread apprehension that even the tepid global economic recovery that we have seen so far, is stalling," he said.

Mukherjee added that globally the economies are facing the challenges of fiscal imbalances, regulation, development, and commodity markets.

He said the recent commodity and food price rise and their volatility have further induced considerable threat to economic growth and food security in energy dependent emerging economies.

He added, however, that factors behind the recent price hikes are yet to be pinpointed and even the G20 is undecided on the role of excessive liquidity on the international commodity prices.

Mukherjee said large and volatile capital flows to the emerging markets can be destabilising as they lead to high exchange rate volatility.

"Large and volatile inflows are also associated with asset price boom and encourage excessive risk taking by traders and investors and therefore threaten financial stability," he said.

On the G20 development agenda, the finance minister called for recycling of global savings for infrastructure investments.

"Enhancing infrastructure investments in emerging economies and developing countries would have positive spin-off for rebalancing global demand. It would result in real investment with tangible growth," he said.

The G20, Mukherjee said, is well placed to coordinate various stakeholders including government, especially the one that have large surpluses, the private sector and multilateral development bank, for investment in developing economies.

Comments

 

Other News

Rubio denies US foreknowledge of Starlink restrictions in Ukraine

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said he was unfamiliar with the Wall Street Journal report suggesting Elon Musk had decided to throttle Starlink services in Ukraine, but rejected claims that Washington had ordered the restrictions to pressure Kyiv.   “There was no

Can AI change India’s breast cancer story?

Breast cancer has become a public-health challenge in India. The greatest opportunity is to find cancers earlier. Artificial intelligence (AI) is opening a new era in breast cancer detection. AI systems can analyse mammograms and other breast-imaging studies, identify subtle abnormalities and assist radi

Farm stability in the time of climate change

Indian agriculture is experiencing significant climate volatility, while the world economy seems to be in a highly volatile situation. Economic indices from various countries show that they need to recalibrate their strategies to withstand economic headwinds. In such a challenging situation, a country li

El Niño threatens India’s Rabi crops

India’s southwest monsoon ended with a 13% rainfall deficit in 2026, its weakest performance in a decade, raising concerns over agricultural production, water security and the upcoming rabi season. With El Niño expected to persist into early 2027, experts warn that declining soil moisture, dep

Regulating the data advantage: India’s new e-Commerce framework

For over a decade, India’s e-commerce story has rested on a simple premise: platforms connect buyers and sellers, while data fuels efficiency, personalisation, and scale. However, as the market matured, its structure has revealed a growing imbalance. E-commerce platforms, especially marketplace ent

Changing weather patterns, climate change responsible for Nepal floods

The interaction between active Western Disturbances, increased atmospheric moisture and the region’s complex topography aswell as global warming are important factors behind intense rainfall in the Himalayas, leading to flash floods in Nepal, according to meteorologists. Nepal

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter