Guides & Primers

Every February, headline numbers dominate the news cycle. We break down the difference between Budget Estimates (BE), Revised Estimates (RE), and actual spending. Learn how to spot off-budget borrowing and why the denominator (nominal GDP growth assumptions) matters more than the absolute allocation.

A survival guide for parsing government press releases and political claims. We cover common statistical sleights of hand, such as confusing percentage point changes with percentage changes, ignoring inflation, and cherry-picking base years in index comparisons.

Why do different sources (PLFS, CMIE, EPFO) show conflicting employment narratives? We dissect the definition of 'employment' in the Indian context, the challenge of measuring informal labor, and why unpaid family labor frequently distorts female labor force participation rates.