India's Latest GDP Figures Spark Debate Over Data Credibility

India's government last week reported GDP growth of 7.8% for the latest quarter, exceeding a forecast of 7% and prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call the figure a "herculean feat," according to the Guardian.

The announcement quickly became controversial. Subhash Garg, a former finance secretary who served under Modi's government and is now a critic, disputed the government's characterization of the data, according to the report.

Garg alleged that the government revised downward last year's current-price GDP figures, which had the effect of inflating this year's growth rate by comparison. Based on his own calculations, Garg estimated that the actual growth rate is closer to 2.6%, the Guardian reported.

The dispute has renewed broader concerns about the credibility of India's statistical institutions. The Guardian noted that India's statistical system was once widely respected for its rigor in tracking economic and social indicators, but that reputation appears to have eroded in recent years.

The controversy reflects deeper divisions in how different segments of Indian society and its political establishment interpret official economic data, with critics and government officials offering starkly different assessments of the same figures.