MoSPI Chief Defends 7.8% GDP Growth, Rejects 'Data Manipulation' Claims

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) Secretary Saurabh Garg has strongly defended India's 7.8% GDP growth figure, saying multiple real-world indicators including GST collections, credit growth, manufacturing output and services expansion fully support the numbers. Rejecting allegations of "data jugglery", Garg said critics were comparing different GDP series and stressed that international statistical standards and updated methodologies underpin the revised growth estimates.