Arun Jaitley

摘要

India was one of the few developing economies that weathered the downturns hitting emerging markets in 2015. The country's currency and inflation remained stable and its gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 7.3% in the fourth quarter of 2015 - the highest rate among large economies worldwide. Other countries in Asia instead struggled with record capital outflows, depreciating currencies and drops in commodity prices. "Today, India stands out as an economy with credibility. To be able to do well when the going gets challenging is itself a statement," says Arun Jaitley, the country's finance minister. In his view, India's strong performance in the past 12 months could increase foreign investor appetite for sectors within the country such as infrastructure, which is often seen as being beset by red tape and inefficiencies. "Indian infrastructure is a safe, long-term investment. It gives you reasonable rates of interest that are highly competitive versus the rest of the world. India is an economy that is doing well and that has the capacity to absorb consumption. And if India's growth is destined for a high trajectory, [infrastructure investment] is a great opportunity for investors and India," says Mr Jaitley.