Bihar is the fastest growing State while Tamil Nadu is the worst performer, the latest data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed.
Bihar’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) grew 10.73 per cent during 2012-13 — the only State that clocked a double-digit growth rate during the year. The growth rate was 10.29 per cent in 2011-12 and 15.03 per cent in 2010-11.
Tamil Nadu recorded the slowest growth rate — 3.39 per cent — slower than the national average of 4.5 per cent in 2012-13. The second-best performing State is Madhya Pradesh, which grew at 9.89 per cent. Delhi is third with a growth rate of 9.33 per cent.
The CSO-verified growth rate for 2012-13, however, is lower than that reported by Bihar’s Statistics Directorate. The State government had reported a growth rate of 15.05 per cent.
All major industrial States lag behind Bihar. Growing at 7.96 per cent, Gujarat is ranked sixth and Maharashtra ninth with 6.18 per cent.
As the growth rate for the bulk of the States is higher than the national GDP, the economic slowdown is not reflected in the data. Normally, the States’ GDP adds up to about 90 per cent of the national GDP. The difference is the output of the sectors that do not belong to any State such as the Bombay High.
Over the years, discrepancies are increasing between the GSDP data in the States’ reports and the figures that finally come out after discussions with the CSO and validation.
“The CSO never seeks political approval of any of its numbers. Even the Prime Minister cannot be provided any data before it is made public,” said a senior source at the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, citing one of the reasons for the rising discrepancies.
“However, the rules of the State Statistical Directorates need them to seek political approval from Chief Ministers or Finance Ministers,” he said.
