India’s strong growth triggers debate over economy

NEW DELHI: India’s stronger-than-expected economic growth has sparked debate over the reliability of official figures. The economy expanded 7.8% in the April-June quarter, exceeding analysts’ 7.1% forecast, supported by investment, manufacturing and consumer demand. Former finance ministry official Subhash Chandra Garg questioned whether growth was overstated due to changes in the previous year’s GDP measure. Former central bank chief Raghuram Rajan also questioned why strong growth had not translated into stronger job creation, investment and foreign inflows.