Ominous signals: on slowdown of India's economy
The HinduIndia’s economy is in a severe slowdown that is only going to get worse in a pandemic-stricken world. Three months after Finance Ministry mandarins prognosticated that India’s growth slowdown had bottomed out, the latest economic data has belied that prediction. Crucially, the GDP growth estimates for the January-March quarter and the full fiscal year barely reflect the impact of the public health crisis and the stringent lockdowns, which were imposed nationwide only from March 25. The government says the lockdown impacted data flow, and with statutory reporting timelines extended the estimates would likely undergo revision. This includes manufacturing, which contracted for a third straight quarter and shrank by 1.4% in the fourth quarter; construction, a major job generating activity that continued to weaken and contracted 2.2%; and the two largest services categories.