Economic Survey presents a cherry-picked view of economy: Congress

Claiming that the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament on July 22 presented a “cherry-picked view” of the economy with “fudged” data, the Opposition parties criticised the government saying the document once again shows that the BJP government is disconnected from reality.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh pointed out that food inflation remains unchecked, at nearly 10% per year, with prices of specific foods growing at a rapid pace – cereals at 11%, vegetables at 15%, spices at 19% and milk at 7% – affecting the poor and the middle class. He further said that the “unplanned and unjustified” export ban and flood of cheap imports, as the survey points out, had a debilitating impact on farmer’s incomes. The MSMEs have been forced to shut down because of the rise of imports from China.

Mr. Ramesh said the Economic Survey virtually admits the failure of the Centre’s policymaking with regard to generating private investment. The survey, he said, concedes that “manufacturing sector employment creation has been subdued in the past decade”.