New Delhi– India has lost its coveted title of the world’s fastest growing economy to China, as low agriculture and mining output along with subdued consumer demand, slowed the country’s economic growth rate to 5.8 per cent during the fourth quarter of 2018-19, official data showed on Friday.
China’s economy had grown by over 6 per cent in the fourth quarter.
On a sequential basis, India’s economy had grown at 6.6 per cent in the third quarter ending December.
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the GDP growth of 5.8 per cent in the fourth quarter ended March was way lower than the 8.1 per cent expansion witnessed during the same quarter of the previous year.
“GDP (gross domestic product) at constant (2011-12) prices in Q4 of 2018-19 is estimated at Rs 37.20 lakh crore, as against Rs 35.15 lakh crore in Q4 of 2017-18, showing a growth rate of 5.8 per cent,” according to the GDP estimates released by the CSO.
Similarly, the full fiscal 2018-19 was no better for the economy with the country recording a GDP growth of 6.8 per cent – the lowest in five years. In the fiscal 2017-18, the country had clocked a GDP growth rate of 7.2 per cent.
The gross value added (GVA) growth rate during 2018-19 on a YoY basis fell to 6.6 per cent, from 6.9 per cent during the previous fiscal.
“Real GVA, (GVA at basic constant) (2011-12) prices for the year 2018-19 is now estimated at Rs 129.07 lakh crore, showing a growth rate of 6.6 per cent over ‘First Revised Estimates of GVA’ for the year 2017-18 of Rs 121.04 lakh crore released on January 31, 2019,” the CSO said.
The GVA includes taxes, but excludes subsidies.
As per the data, the economic activities which registered growth of over 7 per cent on a YoY basis in 2018-19 were ‘public administration, defence and other services’, ‘construction’, ‘financial, real estate and professional services’, ‘electricity, gas, water supply and other utility services’.
“The growth in the ‘agriculture, forestry and fishing’, ‘mining and quarrying’, ‘manufacturing’ and ‘trade, hotels, transport, communication and services related to broadcasting’ is estimated to be 2.9 per cent, 1.3 per cent, 6.9 per cent and 6.9 per cent, respectively,” the CSO said.
Sector-wise, GVA for 2018-19 from “agriculture, forestry and fishing” sector showed a growth of 2.9 per cent, from 5 per cent in 2017-18.
The GVA in 2018-19 from the manufacturing sector grew at 6.9 per cent, as compared to 5.9 per cent in the previous fiscal.
The mining and quarrying sector grew by 1.3 per cent against previous year’s growth rate of 5.1 per cent.
GDP growth numbers:
FY19 GDP growth – 6.8 per cent
FY18 GDP growth – 7.2 per cent
Quarter wise GDP growth FY19
Q1 – 8.0 per cent
Q2 – 7.0 per cent
Q3 – 6.6 per cent
Q4 – 5.8 per cent
Quarter wise GDP growth FY18
Q1- 6.0 per cent
Q2 – 6.8 per cent
Q3 – 7.7 per cent
Q4 – 8.1 per cent
Source: CSO (IANS)
