Retirement savings has never been a hard decision for
Indians. For ages, it has always been the gold. If I look back and saw my
relatives and friends, many preferred to keep gold at their homes, in some
form. Women, in particular, will buy jewelleries and keep in the locker,
believing that it will come good if they need money in times of crisis. Even
those who live in urban India did the same. Imagine what the rural India did
with gold. Though, times have changed now, and more investment arms have
cropped up, yet, gold remains the best investment bucket for most Indians.
It is still considered as the best retirement investing
option. Such has been the affinity for Gold among Indians that people have
imported more that 800 tonnes of gold in just one year, in the year 2012-13.
The finance ministry feels that high
imports of gold have also played a role in affecting the current financial situation.
As a result, the current account deficit has increased, perhaps more due to
gold imports.