India may remain poor even after becoming 3rd largest economy: Ex-RBI chief

Even after becoming the third largest economy in the world by 2029 as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India may still be a poor country and therefore there is no reason for celebration, former Reserve Bank Governor D Subbarao said here on Monday. Addressing a gathering at a book launch programme, Subbarao also said, citing Saudi Arabia, that becoming a rich country does not necessarily mean becoming a developed nation. Recalling PM Modi saying that if he returns to office, India will become the third-largest economy before 2029 -- before the end of his third term, he said many economists predict that the country would become the third largest after the US and China, much sooner. In my view, that is possible (India becoming the third-largest economy), but it's not a celebration. Why? We are a large economy because we are 1.40 billion people. And people are a factor of production. So we are a large economy because we have people. But we are still a poor country, Subbarao ..