FY09 economic growth at 8-8.5%

New Delhi, Mar 26 (UNI) Country's economy will grow by 8.0-8.5 per cent in the fiscal year to end-March 2009, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, said today.

''Of course, we are concerned with the industrial slowdown,'' Mr Singh told reporters, adding that inflation was also a worry.

''It (inflation) is out of our comfort zone. The government is aware of that and is trying to bring it down,'' he added.

Factory output in January rose 5.3 per cent from a year earlier, slowing sharply from the previous month. Industrial growth has fallen from double-digit levels seen early in 2007 as the impact of tight monetary policy and a strong rupee clips demand.

UNI SR PDT KN2130