World economy may be slipping into Great Depression problems: RBI Governor

London: RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has asked central banks from across the world to define "new rules of the game" as he warned that the global economy may be slipping into problems similar to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Rajan, who has been warning against competitive monetary policy easing by central banks, however, said the situation is different in India where RBI still needs to bring down lending rates to spur investments. He expressed concern that the world may be slipping into the kind of problems of the depression of the 1930s and an international consensus was needed to be built over time.

"We need rules of the game in order to effect a better solution. I think it is time to start debating what should the global rules of the game be on what is allowed in terms of central bank action," he said at a London Business School (LBS) conference here last evening. "I am not going to venture a guess as to how we establish new rules of the game. It has to be international discussion, international consensus built over time after much research and action," Rajan said.

"But I do worry that we are slowly slipping into the kind of problems that we had in the thirties in attempts to activate growth. And, I think it's a problem for the world. It's not just a problem for the industrial countries or emerging markets, now it's a broader game," he noted. Asked specifically about interest rate cuts from an Indian perspective, he said, "I try to shut out market reactions as far as I can. We (India) are still in a situation where we have to spur investment and I am worried more about that."