‘Base year changed, data revised’: Govt defends 7.8% growth amid GDP rate row, explains new calculation method
The Indian government has defended its 7.8% GDP growth figure for Q1 2026, denying accusations that it manipulated data by changing the base year. Officials state the revision is a standard methodological update to improve accuracy.
Why it matters
Economic growth figures are critical for investor confidence and political stability in India, making the methodology behind these calculations a subject of intense scrutiny.
The government has clarified that it did not revise down Q1 2025-26 GDP at current prices from ₹86 lakh crore to ₹80 lakh crore to make the current year’s GDP look better. India recorded a GDP growth rate of 7.8% in the April-June 2026 quarter, the government said on Tuesday.The clarification comes amid critics and the Opposition pointing out that the government revised GDP at current prices for Q1 FY26 from ₹86.05 lakh crore under the earlier 2011-12 base-year series to ₹80 lakh crore under the latest 2022-23 series to show a higher growth rate.Also Read | India shrugs off oil shock to post 7.8% growth in Q1, PM Modi hails ‘herculean feat’A former finance secretary said, "If you had not revised last year's GDP, the growth in current prices would have been only 2.6 per cent."
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