India on Monday failed in its bid to prevent China and three other countries from getting more powers in the International Monetary Fund.
Various options, including expanding the scope of some of the existing tools, were being considered to provide a financial safety net.
The International Monetary Fund on Thursday raised India's growth forecast for 2010 to 9.5 per cent, stating that favourable financing conditions and robust corporate profits will accelerate economic expansion.
In a major decision, the RBI on Friday announced that UPI payment limit to hospitals and educational institutions will be raised to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh at present and hiked the cap for e-mandates for recurring payments to Rs 1 lakh. Unveiling the December bi-monthly monetary policy, Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das said the limit for various categories of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions has been reviewed from time to time. "It is now proposed to enhance the UPI transaction limit for payment to hospitals and educational institutions from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh per transaction," he said.
Strauss Khan argued that the stimulus measures adopted by countries to combat the global crisis should be withdrawn only when the economic recovery has taken hold and unemployment is set to decline.
The International Monetary Fund expects India's economic growth rate to moderate to 7.5-7.75 per cent this fiscal, from 8.5 per cent in 2010-11, on account slowing investments and sluggish global recovery.
The gold reserves remained stable at $19.335 billion.
The reserves had touched a life-time high of $426.028 billion in the week to April 13, 2018.
Measures adopted by the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund are sufficient to prevent the Eurozone crisis from spilling over to other parts of the globe, a senior Canadian minister said on Tuesday.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said Indian markets cannot remain immune to the Eurozone debt problems and will feel the impact if the $1 trillion bailout package by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund does not inspire confidence.
Eurozone leaders have agreed on a bailout package of nearly $1 trillion (750 billion euro) for Greece, as part of their concentrated efforts to prevent the debt crisis contagion from spreading to other nations.
The Greek debt crisis shows clearly that if the eurozone is to come out of this crisis relatively unscathed, it needs a full-time fiscal-monitoring and crisis-resolution mechanism.
The finance ministers of 16 nations that use the euro Sunday night sealed a 110-billion euro bailout package for heavily indebted Greece over three years after the country's government agreed to a new round of tough austerity measures.
Subbarao said in terms of the risk to growth inflation outlook, the first would depend on global recovery and if it fails, could have an impact for India.
The World Bank and The International Monetary Fund concluded their annual spring meeting here by increasing the voting rights of India, China and Brazil, among others, thus giving them more say in the institutions' functioning.
The Planning Commission on Thursday described the International Monetary Fund's growth projection of 8.8 per cent for India as optimistic and said the panel would stick to its outlook.
Kalpana Kochhar, country head-India of the International Monetary Fund, says it is 'very difficult not to be bullish on India'
Panagariya, who heads the government's main economic advisory body NITI Aayog, is also India's Group of 20 summit negotiator
The IMF members' investment in the fund's securities will boost the fund's capacity to help member countries, particularly developing and emerging market countries, cope with the crisis and thus benefit all members by facilitating an early recovery of the global economy. At the same time, the new notes will offer members a safe investment instrument with reasonable return.
The 32-year-old maid Nafissatou Diallo, recalling the events of May 14 when Strauss-Kahn allegedly forced her to perform oral sex.
For the current fiscal, the fund said the economy would grow by 6.7 per cent, much lower than the 7.2 per cent projected by the Central Statistical Organisation.
IMF's change of heart on capital controls is important, but it needs to be followed by further action.
The deteriorating global economy means financial institutions now face total losses of $4,100bn on loans and other assets, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday, urging governments to take "bolder steps" to shore up institutions - including nationalising them where necessary.
India last year announced tax cuts and increased expenditure to prop up the economy hit by the global economic slowdown.
In an effort to allow 19 poor countries to promote growth and make progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the International Monetary Fund will grant 100 per cent debt relief to them amounting to $3.3 billion
Intervening in a Security Council debate on post-conflict peace-building, Indian Ambassador Nirupam Sen roundly criticised Bretton Woods institutions, including the International Monetary Fund, for non-involvement of such nations in the planning for development.
The International Monetary Fund is going through interesting times. It is in the process of reforming a number of funds, core functions and aligning itself to the current economic realities.
India hopes to increase its share in the quotas of multilateral development banks like the International Monetary Fund and Asian Development Bank after major stakeholders in them bring forward the issue of quota review and expanding in accordance with current realities that will give proper representation to the emerging economies.
The International Monetary Fund welcomed the commitment made by the G-20 Summit on Thursday to enhance the multilateral agency's ability to support emerging markets and low-income countries, and to bring the world economy out of its deepest post-war recession.
The former IMF chief, who was indicted on seven counts on Thursday, allegedly forced the maid at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan to perform oral sex.
Addressing reporters on the occasion of release of G-20 Surveillance Note in Washington on Thursday, senior IMF officials, however, emphasised that the world body expects advanced countries to turn around and grow at a moderate pace in 2010.
On Wednesday, the alleged victim, a 32-year-old chambermaid, testified against Strauss-Kahn that 'there was nothing consensual' about the assault that allegedly took place on Saturday in a Manhattan hotel room, ABC News reported.
International Monetary Fund has warned emerging markets, which have so far weathered the ongoing financial crisis, that they may not be completely insulated, while noting that risks to India's financial sector appeared manageable. The top international organisation has raised the assessment of market risks for the emerging markets including on capital flows. It said that despite generally strong external positions, some concerns have arisen about dollar funding in Asia.
For the week under review, Special Drawing Rights fell by $ 13 million to $4.19 billion, while India's reserve position with the International Monetary Fund was down $3.5 million to $1.14 billion.
The International Monetary Fund has welcomed the decision of the United Arab Emirates to come to the rescue of its banks in Dubai and said it is monitoring the situation that took the world market by surprise.
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday said an Indian or Chinese could be the next chief of the International Monetary Fund, and played down the chances of his predecessor Gordon Brown taking over the key position.
The Supreme Court on Thursday directed Jalan-Kalrock consortium, the new owners of the cash-strapped Jet Airways, to deposit Rs 150 crore in SBI's escrow account by January 31, saying failure to do so will mean that the consortium is not in compliance with the terms of the resolution plan for reviving the airline. The top court, meanwhile, also refused to allow the separate plea of the Jet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Welfare Association seeking payment of provident fund and gratuity dues, observing if additional money is awarded, the resolution plan will become "unworkable". The consortium, as per the lawyers for the workmen, has to pay over Rs 200 crore towards dues on account of PF and gratuity.
It might help alleviate the economic crisis by addressing the root cause of the unwillingness to spend, says Robert J Shiller.
If Kamal Nath launches a broadside, it is because his ministry now can no longer afford to ignore the advice that comes from Yojana Bhavan.
