When the GDP numbers for the second quarter of the current fiscal came in December-end, economists were pleasantly surprised. Growth had risen to 8.2 per cent, higher than the 7.2 per cent in Q1, and much higher than the 7 per cent the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had anticipated. This brought to the fore a key question: has the economy finally shaken off the inertia dogging it since the pre-COVID days? More importantly, can this growth be sustained, and can it rejuvenate private investment and bring in the jobs that the country badly needs?
