INDIAN EXPRESS DATED 18th SEP 2026

Summary of Important News Items Editorials-465

INDIAN EXPRESS DATED 18th SEP 2026.

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1. Release the 2017–18 Consumption Survey Data: Restoring Credibility of Official Statistics

An important Editorial Page argument focuses on India’s 2017–18 Household Consumer Expenditure Survey, whose results were not officially released after concerns arose over the findings. The debate has acquired renewed significance amid questions over the methodology and credibility of recent GDP estimates. The article distinguishes national-account statistics from other surveys and recalls India’s historically strong reputation in household and consumption surveys. Its central argument is that withholding uncomfortable statistical results damages institutional credibility more than publishing data that may contain imperfections. The unreleased survey reportedly suggested weakening consumption between 2011–12 and 2017–18, particularly in rural India, generating controversy over poverty and welfare trends. The logic is that public statistics are a public good: independent researchers must be able to scrutinise methodology and unit-level data. The stand is unequivocally in favour of transparency rather than official censorship. The gist is that statistical credibility cannot be rebuilt merely by defending headline numbers; releasing the 2017–18 consumption data would allow evidence-based scrutiny and reduce persistent doubts.

2. US Federal Reserve Rate Hike: Inflation Risks Must Guide Monetary Policy