India's newly appointed Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma said on Friday India will intensify its global economic engagement in proportion to the country's economic output.

In his first meeting with the press after being confirmed as Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sharma said: "We shall see to it that in the global context our economic engagement is intensified as it is expected of a country of India's profile."

Sharma, 56, was Minister of State for External Affairs in the previous government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He said he would benefit from his earlier assignment as a top diplomat because economic diplomacy would be very important in India's global economic engagement.

India's economic growth slowed down to 6.7 percent in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, while exports have slumped since last year due to global economic recession.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2009)