Miles to go: On the state of the Indian economy

Context:

• According to Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) V. Anantha Nageswaran, India's economy has emerged from the challenges posed by the pandemic and is poised for a sustained period of growth.

An Optimistic prognosis:

• Lesser projection could underestimate potentials: The higher-than-expected 7.2% GDP growth recorded last year could even be an underestimate of the true potential.
• Growth in indicators: The economy has gained strong momentum, and macroeconomic fundamentals have improved, with inflation and trade deficits easing in recent months.
• Sustainable reforms: Reforms such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and digitization have led to cleaner bank and corporate balance sheets while promoting formalization.

More to be done:

• Rationalising policies: The economy being on 'auto-pilot' suggests that there may be a lack of appetite for significant reforms, such as rationalizing the GST structure or addressing outdated factor market laws.
• Sector-specific growth: Certain sectors like steel and cement are witnessing increased capacity utilization.
• Out-pass projection levels: COVID-19 impact, indicated by a 5.8% GDP contraction in 2020-21, simply returning to the pre-pandemic growth trajectory is not sufficient.

Challenges:

• China’s dominance: To leverage India's potential as an alternative to China in global supply chains, the government needs to align its actions with its intent.
• Taxation and tariff barriers: Policies like high import tariffs and the complicated 'angel tax' on foreign investments, along with inefficiencies in online services for company registration, undermine investor confidence.
• Building Investor confidence: It is crucial to establish conditions that enable hassle-free progress and inspire investor confidence to fully tap into India's economic potential.