You cannot exclude shell companies while calculating GDP: Pronab Sen

The economy would be underestimated if transactions with benami companies were not captured, the former chief statistician says in an interview

Amid a controversy over the recent National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report on shell companies on MCA 21 portal, former chief statistician Pronab Sen tells Ishan Bakshi GDP would be underestimated if transactions with benami companies were not captured. The fact that these were shell companies were always known, he said. Edited excerpts:

The NSSO report says that 36 per cent of companies that are part of the MCA 21 database could not be traced or were wrongly classified. What are your views?

The frame that was used by the NSSO was that of active companies. That some of these