No throwback to 1991 crisis: Manmohan

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday ruled out the possibility of India witnessing a repeat of the 1991 balance of payments crisis and also reversing the path to globalisation of the economy.

“There is no question of going back to1991 (balance of payment crisis). At that time foreign exchange in India was a fixed rate. Now it is linked to market. We only correct the volatility of the rupee,” he said.

In 1991, Dr. Singh said, the country had only foreign exchange reserves for 15 days. “Now we have reserves of six to seven months. So there is no comparison. And no go question of going back to 1991 crisis.”

Against the backdrop of the high Current Account Deficit (CAD) the Prime Minister was asked about fears in some quarters that the country may be witnessing a throw back to 1991 crisis when gold was pledged and the country was forced to adopt a reforms programme that put it on the path of globalisation of economy.

He was speaking after release of the fourth volume of RBI history titled “RBI History-Looking Back and Looking Ahead” at a small function at his Race Course residence.

When asked that the Current Account Deficit was still high, Dr. Singh acknowledged the problem saying high imports of gold was one of the major factors contributing to it.

“We seem to be investing a lot in unproductive assets,” he added.

He then turned to a leading economic journalist and said, “Ask him. He is the guru.”