New Delhi, September 3 – India’s unexpectedly strong economic growth has sparked a debate after an ex-bureaucrat and a former central bank chief questioned whether the expansion was overstated and the government defended its numbers. The world’s fifth-biggest economy grew 7.8% in the three months through June from the same quarter last year, government ​data showed on Monday, beating the 7.1% forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll as an investment boom and manufacturing strength added to ‌solid consumer demand. WHAT’S THE BEEF? Subhash Chandra Garg, formerly the top Finance Ministry bureaucrat, told Indian media that growth was inflated because

Bengaluru, Sept 3 (Reuters) – India’s dominant services sector accelerated slightly in August but persistently subdued new business kept overall activity near ​its weakest in more than four years, a survey ‌showed, though firms ramped up hiring at the fastest pace in over a year. HSBC’s India Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), compiled by S&P ​Global, rose to 54.1 in August from July’s 53.3, ​but was slightly lower than a preliminary estimate of 54.5. A ⁠PMI above 50.0 signals expansion in activity. However, the ​headline reading was fractionally below its long-run average. New business – ​the survey’s primary demand indicator