Limited external sovereign borrowing may be a boon
Nirmala Sitharaman in the budget presented in Parliament came up with the proposal to borrow in the external markets in external currencies. Two main reasons given for this proposal are India sovereign external debt is one of the lowest at less than 5 per cent of the GDP and hence external borrowing is a favourable option. Given the emphasis the budget places on private sector investment to give a boost to the economy this measure would free up domestic funds for private investment since there is not enough domestic household savings to finance enormous needs of the Government and still leave substantial amounts for private sector investment. This one particular proposal in the budget has drawn the maximum debate in terms of some supporting it as an innovative initiative beneficial to the economy and another set of economists warning against the pitfalls of sovereign external borrowings. Swadeshi Jagran Manch also joined in the debate arguing against the mo