Decoding India’s economic realities: Comparing the state of the economy under the NDA and UPA governments
The HinduFebruary 12, 2024 11:06 pm | Updated February 13, 2024 09:54 pm IST With the BJP-led government exuding over-confidence on the state of the economy, the interim Budget presented earlier this month has shifted focus to fiscal consolidation. Even then, the simple truth which is evident from the official data is that on average, real GDP growth was at least one percentage point higher during the UPA decade than that of the NDA. Real investment and export growth was significantly higher during the UPA decade than the NDA’s, which explains the cause of higher real GDP growth during the former regime, despite being interrupted by a global recession. UPA’s growth record, although higher than NDA’s in magnitude, had three major problem areas, which the Finance Ministry’s “White Paper” has highlighted. During NDA’s ten year rule, real per capita income grew by 43.6%, reflecting a slowdown in inflation adjusted income growth across India.