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India's projected growth rate in 2022 and 2023 | by OECD
Dr. S.P. Sharma | Updated Jun 01, 2021 04:01 pm
According to OECD Economic Outlook, Volume 2021 (Preliminary Version), rpospects for the global economy have improved considerably, but to a different extent across economies. In the advanced economies, the progressive rollout of an effective vaccine has begun to allow more contact-intensive activities − held back by measures to contain infections − to reopen gradually. At the same time, additional fiscal stimulus this year is helping to boost demand, reduce spare capacity and lower the risks of sizeable long-term scarring from the pandemic. Some moderation of fiscal support appears likely in 2022 on current plans, but improved confidence and fewer public health restrictions should encourage households to spend. However, in many emerging-market economies, slow vaccination deployment, further infection outbreaks and associated containment measures, will continue to hold down growth for some time, especially where scope for policy support is limited.
Global GDP is projected to rise by 5.75 per cent in 2021 and close to 4.4 per cent in 2022. The world economy has now returned to pre-pandemic activity levels, but will remain short of what was expected prior to the crisis by end-2022. Growth in the OECD area could rise to 5.25 per cent in 2021, led by a strong upturn in the United States, and then ease to 3¾ per cent in 2022, with strong private spending helping to ensure that the GDP level returns close to the path expected before the pandemic in most countries. Output in China has already caught up with this path and is set to stay on this trajectory in 2021 and 2022. Some other emerging-market economies, including India, may continue to have large shortfalls in GDP relative to pre-pandemic expectations, and are projected to grow at robust rates only once the impact of the virus fades.
Outlook for India
After the 2020 huge GDP contraction, economic growth is projected to bounce back in 2021, driven by pent-up demand for consumer and investment goods, before declining in 2022. The dramatic infections upsurge since February has weakened the nascent recovery and may compound financial woes of corporates and banks. As public anxiety over the virus spreads and lockdowns multiply, high-frequency indicators suggest that a marked slowdown may have taken place in the April-June quarter, although the overall annual impact is likely to be muted. Wholesale and retail inflation rates remain elevated, but within the target range of the central bank.
India’s new confirmed COVID-19 virus infections have risen very rapidly, from a daily minimum of 13 000 cases in late January to more than 400 000 in early May. Although about 20% of the population is estimated to have antibodies, a rapidly transmissible strain doing the rounds, laxity in the application of social distancing and chronic underinvestment in public health make the situation calamitous. Localised containment measures have been reinstated and are impacting mobility, but a new nation-wide lockdown is unlikely. The inoculation rollout is slow, with domestic take-up far below the pace needed to meet the goal of vaccinating 300 million people by August. The National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme that has come into effect in May 2021 could help close that gap, notably by increasing vaccine supply and opening access to anybody beyond the age of 18.
In 2020, poverty and informality increased and the ranks of the middle class plummeted, in both cases undoing several years of progress. Other negative consequences of the pandemic have been the surge in the number of school dropouts, heightened child malnutrition due to the suspension of the cooked meal programme, and of the mid-day school meal scheme in particular, and more than 150 thousand estimated additional child and maternal deaths. Better targeting of energy and fertiliser subsidies, as well as an overhaul of tax expenditures, would free resources for pro-poor fiscal policies. Several states have either recently adopted or are contemplating polices to reserve private sector jobs for local residents, but absorbing more than 10 million young Indians who join the labour market each year requires first and foremost a pick-up in job-generating investments. Improving the business climate will be crucial. With the share of banking assets that are non-performing expected to shoot up well above 10%, it will be especially important to apply the 2016 bankruptcy code in a consistent, transparent and fast way.
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About Author: Dr. S P Sharma | Chief Economist | DSG | PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry
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