India should focus on women’s inclusion in economy: IMF chief

Christine Lagarde expressed concern over the high level of discrimination faced by women in rural India and emphasised that there is an urgent need to address this issue.

By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: January 23, 2018 3:33 pm

International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde ( AP Photo)

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde on Tuesday said that India should continue with reforms with special focus on financial services sector. Lagarde reiterated IMF’s forecast of 7.4 per cent growth for India and said it is obviously one of the fastest growing large economies of the world.

She also expressed concern over the high level of discrimination faced by women in rural India and emphasised that there is an urgent need to address this issue. Lagarde added that she genuinely hopes India focuses on inclusion of women in its economy, including in rural areas. “I genuinely hope there will be a focus on inclusion of Indian women in the economy. We have research to show that India’s GDP can grow by 27 per cent if the women are brought to the same level of men in terms of economic and workforce participation,” she said.