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A country report for South Asian countries including India is presented from publisher BMI, with topics including economic growth, reunification efforts, and political structure.

A country report for South Asia is presented from publisher BMI Research, with topics including the economic growth in India, the financial stability in Bangladesh, and the economic outlook for Sri Lanka.

The article offers information related to the economy and politics of various countries in South Asia as of December 2013. It states that the rising foreign debt stock and big current account deficit of India are considered as major factors in the external problem of the country. It says that the external trade of Sri Lanka has shown continuous improvement. It mentions the launch of Dubai Islamic Bank's Pakistan-based branch called West WharfBranch.

The article focuses on the political risks and microeconomics of various countries in South Asia. It says that the wholesale price inflation (WPI) in India is expected to continue due to slowdown in money supply growth. It states that the unfavorable operating conditions in Pakistan together with unreliable energy supply, poor drug approvals and weak law enforcement will continue to affect its investment. It adds that China Exim Bank has promise to offer more financial assistance to Sri Lanka.

The article presents an outlook for South Asia's economic, political, and business environment for 2013. It provides a forecast and an overview of the developments in the region's inflation, economic growth, banking and mining industry. Als discussed are the risks to the economic, political, and business environment prospects in South Asian countries including Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan.

The article presents an economic forecast for several Asian countries in 2013. It mentions that Indian mining companies will experience tremendous growth especially those in pursuit of coal, copper and iron ore because of both rapid growth and strict regulation in domestic investment opportunities. It adds that the Pakistan economy will continue to experience budgetary deficit until 2017, which can bring deterioration to the country's finances.

The article informs that after just five months, India's revenue deficit has already reached 83% of the government's target for the year amid lower-than-expected tax receipts. India's fiscal accounts are coming under renewed pressure amid slower economic growth and record-high world oil prices. The government's revenue deficit, or the difference between revenues and current expenditures, has already reached INR629bn or 82.6% of the target for the full year. India's Congress-led government, which took office in May pledging to improve the lives of the poor, aims to reduce this year's deficit to INR1, 374bn or 4.4% of nominal GDP from an estimated 4.8% of GDP in 2003/04.

With a general election due by September 2004 in India, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh's budget was filled with tax breaks aimed at giving India's 620 million voters something to cheer about as of April 2003. A popular view is that there was little in the budget to curb India's runaway fiscal deficit and public-debt stock. Singh's key vote-winning measures included hiking the standard-tax deduction for salaried employees to IDR30, 000 and abolishing a 5% income-tax surcharge for low-and middle-income earners.

The article focuses on the political risk of India, with the focus on Maharashtra's polls. Upcoming elections in the western state of Maharashtra will provide India's Congress-led government with its first test at the ballot box since winning May's general election. The ruling Congress-NCP alliance is facing a strong challenge from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena for control of India's second-largest state. Commerce Minister Kamal Nath has announced the new Congress-led government's trade policy aimed at doubling India's share of world trade by 2009.

The article offers an outlook on the Indian economy by the Business Monitor International Ltd. (BMI). It discusses India's economic condition wherein HSBC manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) recorded a nine-month low of 55.3 in June 2011. It states that a slowdown in the country has started and that there is a decline in investment and consumption. Real gross domestic product (GDP) forecast is reportedly down to 7.6 percent from 7.8 percent.

The article reports on the impact of the November 27-28, 2008 terrorist attack to the economy in Mumbai, India. The event is considered one of the most insolent and lethal attacks in the past decade. According to the Business Monitor International (BMI), the rapid increase in perceived political risk in the wake of the ongoing attack will detrimentally impact the business sentiment and foreign investment inflows in the short-to-medium term and could aggravate the ongoing slowdown of the economy.

The article reports that India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, has raised interest rates at its April 28, 2005 policy review in a surprise move aimed at reining in inflation which has risen to a four-month high. The bank increased the short-term reverse repo rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 5.00%, the highest level since July 2003. The central bank has increased short-term interest rates by half a percentage point during the past six months in a bid to control inflation and further increases are likely. The bank's next policy review is to be held on July 26, when another quarter-point rise in short-term rates to 5.25% is expected.

The article presents data on economic indicators of India, which include real gross domestic product (GDP), industrial output, fiscal balance, consumer prices, merchandise exports, merchandise imports, trade balance, bank rate and foreign reserves. Higher interest rates will weigh down on industry during the year ending March 31, 2006, but real GDP growth will strengthen to 7.3% from 2004's estimated expansion of 6.9%. During 2004/05, Indian factories had their busiest year since 1995/96 as industrial output expanded by 8.1%. Output of consumer goods expanded a double-digit 11.3%. But industry is set to slow in 2005/06, as higher borrowing costs depress consumer demand for goods and services.

The article reports that the Indian Congress is competing against fellow members of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in elections being held in three states in February. BMI View: The northeastern state of Bihar will be the most closely watched contest as Congress goes head-to-head with the Rashtriya Janata Dal of Railways' Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav. Voting is underway in three Indian states in elections that will prove a test for the ruling Congress-led coalition in New Delhi. The election in the north-eastern state of Bihar, being held on three days between February 3 and February 23, will be the most closely watched contest.