India will maintain GDP growth close to 8 pc: FM

{image-Palaniappan Chidambaram_29082008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Mumbai, Aug 29: The Union Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram on Friday, Aug 29 expressed confidence that the GDP growth will be maintained close to eight per cent in the Financial Year-09.

Ministry of Finance maintains that India would continue to grow at the rate of eight per cent in the current fiscal, Mr Chidambaram told reporters here. ''Last year I was saying that GDP will grow close to nine per cent and this year too we are more or less correct in our assessment of the yearly growth,'' he said. Asked about inflation and growth outlook, after he inaugurated the currency futures trading in India at National Stock Exchange, the finance minister said, ''No conclusion can be drawn from one week's inflation number.'' Asked about who would succeed Yaga Venugopal Reddy, whose tenure is ending on September 5, 2008 as governor of the Reserve Bank of India, he said, ''You ask me this question when the vacancy arises.''

UNI