(a) whether it is a fact that India is one of the leading countries in getting remittances from foreign countries;

(b) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto;

(c) whether the Government is aware that the contribution of service sector is maximum in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country; and

(d) if so, the details of estimated contribution of the service sector in GDP during the last three years?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE

(SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a) & (b) As per the World Bank, India is the largest remittance receiving country in the world in 2016. Remittances received by top 4 countries in 2016 are given in table 1. 

Table 1: Top Four Remittance-Receiving Countries in the World (US$ billion)

         2016

India 62.7

China 61.0

Philippines 29.9

Mexico 28.5 

Source: World Bank. 

As per the World Bank’s Migration and Development Brief 27 (April 2017), for the first time in recent history, remittance flows to developing countries registered a decline for two successive years. India, the largest remittance-receiving country worldwide, led the fall with a decrease of 8.9 per cent in remittance inflows. Low oil prices and weak economic growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is one of the major reasons for the fall in remittances.

(c) & (d) The services sector is the major sector of the Indian economy in terms of the share in total GVA as can be seen in the following table.

Note: Services includes Trade, hotels, transport, communication and services related to broadcasting, financial, real estate & professional services & public administration, defence and other services. PE: Provisional Estimates Source: CSO