India central bank says 'reasonably comfortable' with current account deficit

[MUMBAI] India's central bank is"reasonably comfortable" with the current account deficit because of lower oil prices, deputy governor HR Khan said on Wednesday, after the country last week unexpectedly eased some rules on gold imports.

"We are reasonably comfortable from the current account point of view because of oil," Mr Khan told reporters in the sidelines of an event in Mumbai.

"So taking all that into account, a view has been taken that we'll give up this 80:20 (rule on gold imports)," Mr Khan told reporters.

India on Friday scrapped a rule mandating traders to export 20 per cent of all gold imported into the country - in what had been known as the 80:20 rule.

India will soon announce the current account deficit for the July-September quarter.

REUTERS