MUMBAI: India's current account deficit, a key indicator of the balance of payment position, widened to 2.8 per cent of GDP at USD 23.9 billion in the first quarter of the current financial year, mainly on account of a higher trade deficit.

As per the data released by the Reserve Bank on India's Balance of Payments during the First Quarter (April-June) of 2022-23, the current account balance recorded a deficit of USD 23.9 billion (2.8 per cent of GDP) in the first quarter, up from USD 13.4 billion (1.5 per cent of GDP) in January-March period of the last fiscal.

India's current account surplus stood at USD 6.6 billion, equivalent to 0.9 per cent of GDP in the first quarter (April-June) of 2021-22.

''Underlying the current account deficit in Q1:2022-23 was the widening of the merchandise trade deficit to USD 68.6 billion from USD 54.5 billion in Q4:2021-22 and an increase in net outgo of investment income payments,'' the RBI said.

It also said net services receipts increased, both sequentially and on a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis, on the back of rising exports of computer and business services.

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