Indian economy grows by 20.1%, raising hopes of recovery

India’s economy grew by 20.1% in the April-June quarter from the same period a year earlier, when it suffered a record contraction, raising hopes of an economic recovery

NEW DELHI -- India’s economy grew by 20.1% in the April-June quarter from the same period a year earlier, when it suffered a record contraction, the government announced Tuesday, raising hopes of an economic recovery. It was India’s fastest pace of growth since it began publishing quarterly gross domestic product figures in 1996, and was far higher than the January-March quarter, when the economy grew 1.6%. But economists say the latest growth figures are deceptive because they are calculated from last year’s smaller base. India’s economy, battered by the coronavirus and a monthslong nationwide lockdown, contracted 24.4% in the April-June quarter in 2020, pulling the country into recession. A country enters a technical recession if its economy contracts for two successive quarters.