‘Base Year Changed, Data Revised’: Govt Explains 7.8% GDP Growth Amid Row

The government has rejected allegations that it revised down India’s Q1 FY2025-26 GDP at current prices from ₹86.05 lakh crore to ₹80 lakh crore to make the latest economic growth figures appear stronger.

India’s GDP grew 7.8% in the April-June 2026 quarter, the government said on Tuesday.

The clarification came after critics and Opposition parties questioned why Q1 FY2025-26 GDP at current prices was revised from ₹86.05 lakh crore under the earlier 2011-12 base-year series to ₹80 lakh crore under the new 2022-23 series.

A former finance secretary had said that without the revision to the previous year’s GDP, growth at current prices would have been only 2.6%. Opposition leaders cited the remark to allege that the government had used the new GDP series to make the latest growth rate look higher.

In a statement, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) said the reduction in the Q1 FY2025-26 estimate was not a deliberate downward revision designed to boost the current year’s growth rate.

Instead, it said the change resulted from successive methodological and data revisions following the introduction of the new GDP series.

Why was Q1 GDP revised from ₹86.05 lakh crore to ₹80 lakh crore?

1. Earlier estimate was based on the old GDP series

The government said the first-quarter GDP estimate for FY2025-26 was initially released at ₹86.05 lakh crore at current prices under the then-prevailing 2011-12 base-year series.

2. New 2022-23 base year introduced

In February 2026, the ministry introduced a new GDP series with 2022-23 as the base year. The revised series incorporated updated data sources, improved methodologies, expanded coverage and other relevant information across the entire GDP time series.

3. New data and indicators changed earlier estimates

According to MoSPI, several new indicators and data sources were incorporated into the GDP calculation. This required GDP estimates from 2022-23 onwards to be recalculated.

As a result, Q1 FY2025-26 GDP at current prices was revised to ₹80 lakh crore.

4. Revision was not intended to mechanically raise growth

The government said the movement from ₹86.05 lakh crore to ₹80 lakh crore reflected successive revisions arising from the change in the base year, improved data sources and methodologies, and updated indicators.

It maintained that the revision was not undertaken to mechanically increase the current year’s growth rate.

5. Old and new series should not be compared directly

MoSPI also said it would be incorrect to compare the ₹86.05 lakh crore figure from the 2011-12 series with the latest Q1 FY2026-27 estimate under the 2022-23 series.

Under the revised series, the appropriate comparison is between the revised Q1 FY2025-26 figure of ₹80 lakh crore and the Q1 FY2026-27 figure of ₹88.27 lakh crore.

The government said this like-for-like comparison under the new GDP series provides the correct basis for assessing the latest growth rate.