Tamil Nadu posts positive growth amid pandemic

It is the only southern State to clock 1.42% during 2020-21

Tamil Nadu emerged as the only possible southern State to clock a positive growth rate of 1.42% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic — 2020-21. This is one of the highlights of the data released recently by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Originally, the State’s growth rate was projected at about 2%. The data, compiled as on August 2, do not contain figures for several States, including Kerala, Maharashtra and Gujarat. However, the available data reveal that the growth rate of the southern States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana and the Union Territory of Puducherry contracted — minus 2.58%, minus 2.62%, minus 0.62% and minus 3.46% respectively. At the all-India level, the growth was estimated at minus 7.3%. An economist said the figures are subject to revision as they have been based on the available data. For example, Tamil Nadu’s growth figure of 8.03%, provisionally worked out for 2019-20, has been scaled down to 6.13%.