How to read the Economic Survey

The Economic Survey has lost some of its significance with much of data it contains readily available on the Internet. It's also become less connected with the budget-making process. But what the survey has lost in heft, it has made up in quality. Economists of global repute, such as Kaushik Basu, Raghuram Rajan (currently RBI governor) and now Arvind Subramanian have all made their mark as its main authors. Given this background, here's what to look out for in the survey:

CEA's IMPRINT: Chief economic advisors have rearranged chapters or introduced new ones to articulate the issues that require most urgent attention. Subramanian has split the survey in two parts, with the first making for great reading.

GROWTH NUMBER: The survey projects growth for the next fiscal. This is the only official forecast from the government. It's usually in the first chapter, innocuously tucked away somewhere. For FY16, the growth is pegged at 8.1-8.5%.

CHAPTER 1: If you wanted to know enough to talk knowledgably about where the economy is going under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, read the first chapter of part I of the survey. It offers just the kind of bird's eye view that you need.

A BIT EXTRA: If you're not content with that and want to dig a bit deeper, the first part showcases 10 issues confronting the economy that will add to your store of economic information.

BOXES AND HIGHLIGHTS: These are perhaps the most interesting parts of the survey. They throw up new ideas that can be explored, interesting international comparisons and simple explanations of key issues.