2017-18 'terrible' choice for new GDP base year: Jairam Ramesh

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday criticised the BJP government's plan to revise the base year to calculate the gross domestic product growth from the current 2011-12 to 2017-18, saying it was a "terrible" idea.

Citing a media report in this regard, Ramesh asked if it was only to make Modi 2.0 government look good on GDP growth rates.

He suggested that 2018-19 should be made the GDP base year as 2017-18 was "an abnormal year with notebandi (demonetisation) and hasty GST".


"Government wants 2017-18 as new GDP base year. Terrible idea! It was an abnormal year with notebandi & hasty GST. Is this only to make Modi Sarkar 2.0 look good on GDP growth rates?" he tweeted.