India's 7.8% GDP Growth Misses the Unorganised Sector Reality

India's 7.8% GDP growth for Q1 FY27 is being challenged by economists who argue the figure overestimates economic health by failing to capture the struggling unorganised sector. Professor Arun Kumar claims the growth projection is flawed, citing the use of organised sector proxies like automobile sales and GST, which miss informal workers, and projecting from a good year into a crisis period with energy shortages. Economist Mitali Nikore defends the calculation as statistically correct but agrees the number doesn't reflect public experience, calling for policy work to ensure growth translates into development. Former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg's alternative estimate of near-zero real growth is dismissed by Nikore as statistically invalid due to comparing different data series.