India, Nov. 29 -- The Government can happily and confidently tick several boxes. GST 2.0 was a grand success, as is evident from more than eight per cent GDP growth in the second quarter (July-September) of this year. The Budget decision to exempt income up to Rs12,00,000 a year from personal taxes has cajoled, and pushed consumers to buy more, which is indicated by the GDP figures in the first half of the year. The high US tariffs have affected exports, but not much in the first six months. India is on its way to beat the low expectations, and poised to post unexpected GDP numbers in 2025-26.

Until this morning, the estimates through media polls of experts and economists zoomed on a high seven per cent, but none predicted over eight per...