GDP back series data: CSO method theoretically better, says Pronab Sen

Whether the CSO's methodology was appropriate is a technical debate among statisticians, says the former chief statistician

Amid a war of words between the government and the opposition over the back series GDP data, former chief statistician Pronab Sen tells Indivjal Dhasmana drastic cuts in both GDP at constant prices and current prices in the new data raise doubts, but he prefers the methodology used by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) to an across-the-board single methodology used by a committee appointed by the National Statistical Commission (NSC). Edited excerpts:

A sharp divergence between the calculations of the NSC-appointed committee and the CSO is giving rise to doubts over the numbers. What is your take?

The committee report was a