An economy of facts

The government is worried about the state of the Indian economy — but not enough to encourage open debate. At an event recently, journalists were eager to ask questions on the Indian economy to various economists of international repute, including Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. But the ministry of finance, which had organised the event, appeared to have requested the economists to not comment on India-specific questions. Journalists, too, were asked to follow a specific protocol, prompting someone to comment that the Indian economy wouldn’t do any better even if economists claimed it would.