http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_INDIA_ECONOMY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-29-08-15-16
MUMBAI, India (AP) -- India's central bank raised its key interest rate for the second time in two months Tuesday, underlining the determination of its new chief to control inflation despite concerns economic growth could slow further.
Reserve Bank of India Gov. Raghuram Rajan said the benchmark interest rate was raised by a quarter percentage point to 7.75 percent. His hard line against inflation increases pressure on the government to revive growth through reforms to make the economy more efficient, instead of relying on the short-term fix of cheap credit.
"It is important to break the spiral of rising price pressures in order to curb the erosion of financial saving and strengthen the foundations of growth," Rajan said. He said he expects both wholesale and consumer price inflation to remain elevated in the coming months.
India's September wholesale inflation rose to 6.5 percent, well over the RBI's target of 4.0-4.5 percent. Consumer price inflation, which factors in volatile food prices and hits hundreds of millions of poor Indians hardest, was even higher at 9.8 percent in September.
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