Greece issue not greasy for India: Raghuram Rajan

Chennai, July 2  India's exposure to cash-strapped Greece was very limited and the central government was in talks with the central bank on providing additional capital to public sector banks, a top Reserve Bank of India (RBI) official said on Thursday.

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said capital investments in the Indian economy were picking up while reforms were needed for stronger growth.

Speaking to reporters after attending RBI's board meeting here, Rajan said the country has very limited exposure to Greece that was facing a crisis after defaulting on payments to the International Monetary Fund and would not be impacted much directly but may have a slight indirect effect.

He said the Greece issue may impact the exchange rates. Untoward developments in that country could also place at risk global investments, he warned.

Rajan said global investors after analysis would find the India story to be very good.

He said India's macro policies were good while the growth prospects and foreign exchange reserves were healthy.

Rajan said India was attractive for foreign investors given the opportunities while the global economy is on the road to recovery.

According to Rajan, the Indian economy was picking up as there were signs of capital investment picking up while the government has to address some issues to put on track the stalled infrastructure projects.

However, he cautioned about relying on foreign investors to fund government or corporate banks market.

Queried about inflation, the RBI governor said it was being watched as well as the progress of the monsoon.

On the issue of non-performing assets of the banks, Rajan said RBI was working with the banks so that they recognise the issue early.

He said additional capital infusion by the government into public sector banks will also provide the necessary buffer for the latter.

Rajan said the process of appointing new heads for public sector banks will be completed soon.

According to him, exports was an area of relative weakness which was true across different Asian economies.