Confident of a rating upgrade, Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram today said growth rate in the current fiscal will be in range of 5.5-5-9 per cent, exceeding Standard and Poor’s estimate of 5.5 per cent.
Global rating agency S&P today raised India’s outlook to stable from negative after two-years, but has retained the rating at ‘BBB-’
While revising the outlook, S&P said the rating could be raised if the economy reverts to a real per capita GDP trend growth of 5.5 per cent per year.
“We are very confident that this (GDP growth) will not only be 5.5 per cent, it will be higher than 5.5 per cent...
There is case for upwards revision of the credit rating.
“As we have been stating in the past, we believe that the growth this year should be in the region of 5.5-5.9 per cent and therefore there will be a positive review within the course of year,” Mayaram said.
The revision in outlook comes just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, which among things is aimed at attracting investment.
Mayaram further said government is satisfied that the credit rating agency has acknowledged the steps that Centre has taken to improve the economy and specially bring the investment climate back and “therefore the growth cycle is back”.