One-quarter dip in GDP growth not a disaster: T C A Anant

He says necessity for GST was long felt and it will facilitate much faster growth

While many economists have linked subdued growth in the first quarter of financial year 2017-18 to the lingering effects of demonetisation, Chief Statistician T C A Anant suggests there is no basis to such commentaries. He also tells Indivjal Dhasmana that the necessity for a goods and services tax (GST) was long felt and it will facilitate much faster growth. Edited excerpts:

Commentaries on GDP data by various experts have attributed slow growth to lingering effects of demonetisation, besides other factors. Why are you de-linking the two?

I am not sure what is the basis of people saying that there was