Facts and figures mismatch

The government’s latest figures show that India’s economy is growing strongly. Official data says real GDP grew by 7.7% in 2025–26, higher than 7.1% in 2024–25. The fourth quarter, from January to March 2026, was even stronger, with real GDP growth estimated at 7.8%. Nominal GDP grew by 8.9%. On paper, these numbers allow the government to claim that the economy is on the upswing. However, the common citizen does not live inside a GDP table. The ordinary citizen lives in the marketplace, meets the economy at the vegetable shop, the milk booth, the school fee counter, the medical store and the petrol pump. That is where the government’s success story begins to sound less convincing. A growing economy means little to a family whose monthly income is losing value before the month ends. The latest retail inflation figure makes this contradiction clear. Consumer Price Index inflation stood at 3.48% in April 2026, up from 3.40% in March 2026. Rural inflation was higher at 3.74%, while urban inflation was 3.16%. Food inflation was sharper at 4.20%, with rural food inflation at 4.26% and urban food inflation at 4.10%. These are not just statistics. They are the daily pressure felt by households. The government may argue that overall inflation is not very high. However, averages can hide pain. A family does not buy the “average” basket of goods. It buys what it needs every day. If food, education, health care, rent, transport and small household services keep becoming costlier, the public feels squeezed even when official inflation appears moderate. In the national capital, some item-wise figures show why people feel the pinch. Tomato prices rose by 35.28%, cauliflower by 25.58%, and coconut or copra by 44.55%. Even if some other items became cheaper, these sharp increases affect the kitchen directly. Personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services rose by 17.66%. Jewellery prices also jumped sharply, with gold, diamond and platinum jewellery rising by 40.72%, and silver jewellery by an extraordinary 144.34%. These numbers may not all affect every household equally, but they show how uneven and painful price rises can be. This is the central problem with the government’s growth claim. Economic growth is important, but growth must be felt. If GDP rises while food bills rise, the poor suffer. If tax collections and corporate profits rise while wages remain weak, the middle class struggles. If highways and digital payments expand while school fees, medicines and household expenses rise, people cannot be asked to celebrate. The issue is not whether India is growing. The issue is who is benefiting from that growth. A 7.7% growth rate is impressive only if it improves ordinary lives. Otherwise, it becomes a headline for ministers and investors, not relief for families. A responsible government should not dismiss public hardship by quoting national figures. It must accept that high living costs can damage trust, dignity and confidence. Growth without affordable living is incomplete growth. That is why citizens judge policy not by slogans, but by the strength of their purchasing power. Until the ordinary citizen feels that his income can meet his basic needs, the claim of an economic upswing will remain only half true. India may be growing on paper, but millions still feel pain in the market.