INSIGHT UPSC QUIZ

GS Economy Basics of Indian Economy
Q.

In context of Indian Economy, New Economic Policy (NEP) announced in 1991 by the central government consisted of wide-range of economic reforms which included:

1. Removal of trade restrictions.

2. Promoting overall competitiveness by removing rigidities in various central ministries.

3. Bringing inflation under control.

4. Increasing the output of goods and services.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct with reference to New Economic Policy?

Explanation:

ANSWER: (C) 

India approached the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), popularly known as World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and received $7 billion as loan to manage the crisis. 

  • For availing the loan, these international agencies expected India to liberalise and open up the economy by removing restrictions on the private sector, reduce the role of the government in many areas and remove trade restrictions between India and other countries. 
  • India agreed to the conditionalities of World Bank and IMF and announced the New Economic Policy (NEP)
  • The NEP consisted of wide-ranging economic reforms. The thrust of the policies was towards creating a more competitive environment in the economy and removing the barriers to entry and growth of firms. 
  • This set of policies can broadly be classified into two groups: the stabilisation measures and the structural reform measures. 
  • Stabilisation measures are short- term measures, intended to correct some of the weaknesses that have developed in the balance of payments and to bring inflation under control. In simple words, this means that there was a need to maintain sufficient foreign exchange reserves and keep the rising prices under control. 
  • On the other hand, structural reform policies are long-term measures, aimed at improving the efficiency of the economy and increasing its international competitiveness by removing the rigidities in various segments of the Indian economy. 
  • The government initiated a variety of policies which fall under three heads i.e., Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation.

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