India will overtake China this year to become the fastest growing large economy in the world, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Monday.

Christine Lagarde described India as the "bright spot" in a "cloudy global horizon", as she said the country's young population and progress on structural reforms would help the economy to "fly" in the coming years.

Last week, the IMF said changes this year to the way Indian growth is calculated meant the country was on course to grow by 7.2pc in the coming fiscal year, and 7.5pc in 2016.

Ms Lagarde said Indian gross domestic product (GDP) would be larger than Japan and Germany combined by the end of the decade under a measure that takes into account buying power in each country - known as purchasing power parity.

"A brighter future is being forged right before your eyes," she said on Monday. "By 2019, the economy will more than double in size compared to 2009. When adjusting for differences in purchase prices between economies, India’s GDP will exceed that of Japan and Germany combined.

"Indian output will also exceed the combined output of the three next largest emerging market economies—Russia, Brazil, and Indonesia. So clearly India’s weight among the group of emerging markets will increase."

David Fuller's view

Here is The Telegraph's article.

These projections are achievable with Narendra Modi’s leadership but by no means a certainty.  India has a democracy, thank heavens, but one of labyrinthine complexity.  I do not know if this can be made more efficient during Modi’s term in office but that would speed the process of constructive reforms. 

What is very apparent is the widespread support for India’s development, and not just from the West.  Most of the world has a vested interest in a prosperous, largely peaceful India.