Economy of India
Currency 1 Indian Rupee (INR) (₨) = 100 Paise
Fiscal year April 1–March 31
Trade organisations WTO, SAFTA
Statistics
GDP (PPP) $5.21 trillion (PPP) (2008 est.) (3rd)
GDP growth 9.6% (2006/07)
GDP per capita $978 (nominal); $2,659 (PPP) [7]
GDP by sector agriculture: 19.9%, industry: 19.3%, services: 60.7% (2006 est.)
Inflation (CPI) 12.01% (26 July 2008)[1]
Population below poverty line 25% (2002 est.) [8]
Labour force 509.3 million (2006 est.)
Labour force by occupation agriculture: 60%, industry: 12%, services: 28% (2003)
Unemployment 7.8% (2006 est.)
Main industries textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, services
External
Exports $125 billion (Financial Year 2006-2007)
Export goods textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures, services
Main export partners US 18%, the People's Republic of China 8.9%, UAE 8.4%, UK 4.7%, Hong Kong 4.2% (2005)
Imports $187.9 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Import goods crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals
Main import partners the People's Republic of China 7.2%, US 6.4%, Belgium 5.1%, Singapore 4.7%, Australia 4.2%, Germany 4.2%, UK 4.1% (2005)
Public finances
Public debt $132.1 billion (2006 est.)
Revenues $109.4 billion (2006 est.)
Expenses $143.8 billion; including capital expenditures of $15 billion (2006 est.)
Economic aid donor: $17.3 million (2006)

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Financial institutions

India inherited several institutions, such as the civil services, Reserve Bank of India, railways, etc., from its British rulers. Mumbai serves as the nation's commercial capital, with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE) located here. The headquarters of many financial institutions are also located in the city.

A business park in Gurgaon, India.

A business park in Gurgaon, India.

The RBI, the country's central bank was established on 1 April 1935. It serves as the nation's monetary authority, regulator and supervisor of the financial system, manager of exchange control and as an issuer of currency. The RBI is governed by a central board, headed by a governor who is appointed by the Central government of India. The BSE Sensex or the BSE Sensitive Index is a value-weighted index composed of 30 companies with April 1979 as the base year (100). These companies have the largest and most actively traded stocks and are representative of various sectors, on the Exchange. They account for around one-fifth of the market capitalisation of the BSE. The Sensex is generally regarded as the most popular and precise barometer of the Indian stock markets. Incorporated in 1992, the National Stock Exchange is one of the largest and most advanced stock markets in India. The NSE is the world's third largest stock exchange in terms of transactions. There are a total of 23 stock exchanges in India, but the BSE and NSE comprise 83% of the volumes. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), established in 1992, regulates the stock markets and other securities markets of the country.

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