Gold imports contract 80 pc to USD 973 mn in March

Gold imports dipped for the second consecutive month in March, falling by 80.48 per cent to USD 972.96 million, which is expected to keep a lid on the country's current account deficit.
The sliding prices of the precious metal in both global and domestic markets are seen as a contributory factor for the plunge.
Gold imports stood at USD 4.98 billion in March 2015.
The contraction in the imports helped narrow trade deficit to five-year low of USD 5.07 billion last month. The deficit was at USD 11.39 billion in the year-ago period.
India is the largest importer of gold in the world and the imports mainly cater to the demand of jewellery industry.

India's current account deficit (CAD) narrowed to 1.3 per cent of GDP in third quarter of the fiscal 2015-16 as against 1.5 per cent in the same period previous year, mainly on account of lower trade deficit.