New Delhi  - India's economy is expected to post its lowest growth in six years and fall to 7.1 per cent for the current fiscal year against 9 per cent the previous year, according to government data released Monday.

The estimate - the first official projection for the financial year ending on March 31 - was on expected lines and similar to the rate forecast by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Economic Advisory Panel.

The Central Statistical Organization (CSO) data showed that the growth figures for the three main components of national income - agriculture, manufacturing and services
- were expected to fall.

Manufacturing output growth was estimated at 4.1 per cent, half of the 8.2 per cent expansion in 2007-2008, while agriculture growth was pegged at 2.6 per cent against 4.9 per cent the previous year.

Services growth was estimated to fall to 9.6 per cent against 10.9 per cent.

The decline in growth figures of Asia's third largest economy comes in the backdrop of a global slowdown that has hit the country's key sectors.

The central Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had also recently lowered its growth forecast for gross domestic product (GDP) to 7 per cent from 7.5-8 per cent. (dpa)