India to see 4.4 per cent real GDP growth this fiscal: OECD

Presenting a gloomy picture for India, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that economic growth is expected to remain weak for sometime.

The economy is expected to expand 4.4 per cent in the current financial year compared to 6.9 per cent growth in 2011-12 period.

The latest projections from OECD, a grouping of mostly developed nations, are real GDP figures are measured at market prices.

However, OECD said that India could grow 6.5 per cent in the next fiscal and further expand to 7.1 per cent in 2014-15 period.

"The economy has experienced a broad-based slowdown and growth is expected to remain weak for some time. The current account deficit has narrowed as imports have softened on account of cooling domestic demand and a weaker rupee," OECD said in its latest Economic Outlook report.

The grouping said that inflation has temporarily been pushed up by hikes in regulated petroleum prices but is expected to decline as spare capacity mounts.

"This will create room for easing monetary policy, which has been hindered by persistently high inflation and a widening fiscal deficit," the report said.

Going by OECD, recent moves to liberalise foreign direct investment in some sectors, including retail and aviation, have boosted business sentiment somewhat and would promote higher investment and productivity over the medium term.

However, the group noted that fiscal position has weakened as tax revenues have been hit by the slowdown and spending has overshot.

"Spending restraint is needed to ensure that fiscal slippage is limited and confidence does not suffer further on account of policy uncertainty," OECD said.