The NSSO report, findings of which were first published in Mint on Wednesday, found that 36% of the companies in the MCA-21 database maintained by the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) could not be traced or were wrongly classified.
New Delhi: The ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) has downplayed the controversy around India’s gross domestic product (GDP) data after a National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report raised serious questions on the quality of the MCA-21 database, which is used in India’s GDP calculations, triggering political accusations of data manipulation.
The NSSO report, findings of which were first published in Mint on Wednesday, found that 36% of the companies in the MCA-21 database maintained by the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) could not be traced or were wrongly classified.
India’s new GDP series, which was published in January 2015 and moved the base year from 2004-05 to 2011-12, uses the MCA-21 database to calculate the country’s economic output. The earlier series did not use this database, which is only available from 2006-07 onwards.
An MoSPI statement issued on Wednesday said the NSSO survey was commissioned to understand the data gaps in the MCA-21 database and take remedial steps.
The statement also said these issues will be resolved in the proposed revision of GDP figures to the 2017-18 series and added that “the results of this NSS Report will be further examined by the Advisory Committee before finalising the approach and methodology for the proposed 2017-18 series”.
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