A lot of the debate so far has focused, rather sharply though, on the uptrend in jobs. Yes, the numbers do show that there is a pick-up. Impressive when compared with the immediate past, it is, as critics argue, obviously not enough. What it does tell us though is that the NSSO data is robust, especially important given that when the 66th round data went public two years back, several experts, both within and outside government, had questioned its veracity.

So, what is bad then can’t be good today for those who sought to fend off criticism on the economy by disingenuously suggesting the data was faulty. Read More