Foreign capital flows into India: Compositions, regulations, issues and policy options

Sumanjeet Singh

Department of Commerce, Ramjas College, University of Delhi, Delhi-7, India.

E-mail: sumanjeetsingh@gmail.com.

Accepted 14 May, 2009

   Abstract

Existing studies reveals that the huge surge in international capital flows since early 1990s has created unprecedented opportunities for the developing countries like India to achieve accelerated economic growth. International financial institutions routinely advise developing countries to adopt policy regimes that encourage capital inflows. Since the introduction of the reform process in the early 1990s, India has witnessed a significant increase in capital inflows. The size of net capital inflows to India increased from US $ 7.1 billion in 1990-91 to US $ 108.0 billion in 2007-08. Today, India has one of the highest net capital inflows among the EMEs of Asia. Capital inflows, however, not an unmitigated blessing. The main danger posed by large and volatile capital inflows is that they may destabilize macroeconomic management. As evident, the intensified pressures due to large and volatile capital flows in India in the recent period in an atmosphere of global uncertainties has posed new challenges for monetary and exchange rate management. The present paper elaborates on various aspects of the capital inflows to India and their policy implications.

Key words: Capital inflows, policy, exchange rate, India.