KACHARAGADLA

Poor global demand might make it tough for India to crank its growth engine Is the world economy heading towards a sharp deceleration in growth, pulling down India's own story in its wake? The chorus is growing stronger as economic recovery sputters in the world's major economies. Early this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its global growth forecast for a second time this year, citing weak commodity prices and a slowdown in China. In October, IMF forecast the world economy would grow 3.1 per cent this year, down from its July estimate of 3.3 per cent growth. For next year, it cut the growth forecast to 3.6 per cent, from 3.8 per cent earlier. As recently as April it expected the world economy to grow 3.5 per cent this year. A downgrade by IMF follows a similar move by its Bretton Woods cousin, the World Bank. In its forecast in June, the institution expected the world economy to grow 2.8 per cent this year, down from three per cent estimated in

The International Monetary Fund and the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago have signed a Memorandum of Understanding providing opportunities for officials from the Caribbean region to train at IMF Headquarters. The agreement was signed on October 5, in Lima, Peru, at the Second Caribbean Region Dialogue held during the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings. This partnership is based on the generous offer by the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago to provide financing for officials from Caribbean small states to attend the IMF’s Externally Financed Appointee Program. This program will enable officials from Central Banks and Finance Ministries to gain valuable international experience in macroeconomics and other related fields by working in the IMF headquarters in Washington, D.C. Human capacity development is a key factor that will transform current improvements in the Caribbean’s economic outlook into sustainable growth. This is particularly critical to manage the unique constrain