Global economists, political scientists ask India to release withheld economic data

Close to 200 Indian and international economists today (Nov. 21) appealed to the Indian government to release the national data reportedly withheld because they painted an unfavourable picture of the country’s economy. Last week, on Nov. 15, the Business Standard newspaper had published a report based on the 75th round survey of consumer expenditure, 2017-18, done by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under India’s ministry of statistics and programme implementation. “Consumer spending fell for the first time in more than four decades in 2017-18, primarily driven by slackening rural demand, according to the latest consumption expenditure survey by the NSO,” the report said.