“A comparison between two entities requires us to use the same metric to judge them. This is not just a fundamental principle of economic analysis, but one of common sense” Ramesh said.The choice to measure consumption inequality in India was also deliberate, he said.Ramesh pointed out that consumption inequality is always less than income inequality since the rich save a large part of their income.”When we compare India’s income equality to that of the rest of the world, India performs extremely poorly: India is ranked 176 out of a total of 216 countries in 2019. In other words, India is not the 4th most equal society – it is actually the 40th most unequal society in the world,” he claimed.”Income inequality in India has grown, and worsened in the last few years under the Modi Raj,” Ramesh said.Wealth inequality in India is even higher than income inequality, reflecting the disproportionate gains of the elite in the last 11 years of cronyism, he said.”Such fraudulent analysis, being published through the auspices of the PIB, reveals one of two things: a disturbing lack of talent in this government, or an equally disturbing lack of intellectual integrity. The PIB must clarify as to the origins of this press release and retract it immediately,” Ramesh said.”There has been a dangerous trend of such random ad-hoc statements and declarations coming from the Modi Government’s officials,” he claimed.”In May 2025, we saw a similar flurry of incoherent and diverging statements from NITI Aayog officials on the size of the Indian economy. The political leadership’s penchant for distortion and propaganda has clearly trickled down to officials as well,” Ramesh said.By “doctoring data”, the Modi government cannot simply wish away the stark reality of what is staring us in the face – growing and deepening inequalities, driven by its mindsets and policies, he said.In its release, the government attributed the reduction in inequality to various initiatives and schemes pursued during the last decade.”…India’s Gini Index stands at 25.5, making it the fourth most equal country in the world, after the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Belarus,” the statement said.
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