Government says IMF debt warning a worst case scenario

NEW DELHI : The Indian Government said on Friday a warning from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the country’s debt to GDP ratio could hit 100 per cent was a worst-case scenario, and not a “fait accompli”.

The IMF, in a so-called article IV review, said India’s general government debt, which includes federal and state government debt, could be 100 per cent of GDP under adverse circumstances by fiscal 2028.

India’s finance ministry said this was “a worst-case scenario and is not fait accompli”.
India’s debt to GDP ratio, which was 81 per cent in 2022/23, may decline to below 70 per cent in the same period under favourable circumstances, the IMF report also said, according to the ministry.

“Therefore, any interpretation that the report implies that General Government debt would exceed 100 per cent of GDP in the medium term is misconstrued,” the ministry added.