Path to 10% growth not impossible: FM Jaitley

The path to 10 percent growth in Indian economy is not impossible, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said citing economic reforms, policy changes along with a good monsoon as the basis for his optimism.

"This (10 percent growth rate) is reasonably possible. That is where India's potential is," Jaitley said at an event here soon after his arrival on the second leg of his nine-day US tour to attract American investors.

The Minister said India's seven plus percent growth rate came backdrop of a terrible monsoon last year and a second round of crop destruction in March this year.

The manufacturing sector was almost crawling, and the growth rate was around five percent, he said. "Now with a lot more money being invested in infrastructure and governments even conducting their fiscal policy in order to help the manufacturing sector, there is a significant growth possible as far as this area is concerned," he said.

Hopefully, with a better monsoon this year, agriculture must do better and would add to the nation's economy, he said. Goods and Services Tax (GST) has the potential to add at least one percent to the GDP of India, he said adding that last year, India grew by 7.3 percent in terms of GDP.

"It is important that we reach that target, but it is more important that we sustain it for a couple of years," the Finance Minister said in his remarks on 'Putting India back on track: A pathway to double-digit growth', at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a top US think-tank.

"If we are able to sustain it for a couple of years, then I think, we will be able to have direct benefits as far as India is concerned, more jobs, better economy and hopefully over the next 10 years or so deplete the poverty levels in the segments that are more impacted by it," Jaitley said giving his overview of his government's economic policies.

"I can't say as to what figure India's growth rate would achieve. But I am certainly of the view that the seven-and-a- half percent growth that we are presently at is not India's optimum potential.

This year, we hope to touch about eight percent," he said. Once the impact of policy changes made by the new Indian government and investments in key areas like infrastructure, agriculture and industry is felt, Jaitley said, "I think there could be a significant growth".

If inflation stays at moderate level, one should logically expect the interest rates to go down, which would directly impact and add to the Indian economy, he said.

"The cumulative effect of all these plus favourable global winds, I think the journey between eight and 10 percent is not an impossible journey," Jaitley said.

He said the government still has pending work at hand and noted that Land Bill is a "difficult challenge".

"The Land Bill is a difficult challenge...I think, we will have to fight it out and explain the benefits of the land bill because it is intended for the development of India's rural areas," he said.