Subhash Garg Writes: Centre's FAQs on GDP Revision Lack Crucial Supporting Data

In my piece for The Quint (India's 7.8% GDP Growth: Is Government Data Really What It Seems?) on 2 September, I underlined the issue of massive reduction/anomaly in India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in current prices, in the new series (base 2022-23) compared to the old series (base 2011-12), of Rs 12.69 trillion in 2024-25 (Rs 317.99 trillion in the new series against Rs 330.68 trillion in the old series). Using the case of Q1-2026 GDP at current prices, which was reduced from Rs 86.05 trillion (in the old series) to Rs 80.00 trillion (in the new series), I argued that if the old GDP of Rs 86.05 trillion was used unchanged as the GDP at current prices of Q1-2026, the nominal GDP growth of the quarter was only 2.6 percent instead of 10.3 percent, claimed in the Government of India's press release, and the real GDP growth close to zero (taking the deflator of 2.5 percent used by the government). My comments on NDTV (and some other channels) and the piece in The Quint have generated considerable interest and debate in the country—which is still raging. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) also issued a detailed clarification [Additional Information related to GDP Estimates Received After Release of Q1 Estimates of FY 2026-27], seeking to address the issue of lowly 2.6 percent growth in Q1 2026-27 GDP current prices, and also a few other related issues.