The government is expected to launch a Household Income Survey in 2026 to gather information on income distribution and welfare, the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) said Monday.
Statistics minister Rao Inderjit Singh told ET that the survey will be launched from February 2026 "for the purpose of estimating average income of rural and urban households."
The survey will also examine impact of technology adoption on household income (wages), the ministry noted.
A Technical Expert Group (TEG), chaired by Dr Surjit S Bhalla, former executive director of India, International Monetary Fund (IMF), has been established to oversee the survey.
"Recognizing the growing significance of such data, NSS ( National Sample Survey) acknowledges the urgent need for a dedicated income distribution survey to better understand the profound structural changes that have occurred in the Indian economy over the past 75 years," the ministry said.
Other members of the TEG include Ram Singh, member of the monetary policy committee (MPC) and director of Delhi School of Economics; Dr Rajesh Shukla, managing director and CEO, People's Research on India's Consumer Economy; Prof. Sonalde Desai of the National Council of Applied Economic Research; Prof. Praveen Jha from JNU's Centre for Economic Studies and Planning; Dr Tirthankar Patnaik, chief economist at National Stock Exchange of India; Aloke Kar, former professor at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata; and Prof. Srijit Mishra, School of Economics, University of Hyderabad.
The expert group will advise the government on aspects regarding conceptual definitions, preparation of the survey methodology, sampling design, method of estimation, and will incorporate best practices adopted across the world.
MoSPI had previously collected information on household income along with the consumption expenditure surveys on experimental basis during the 9th round (May 1955 - September 1995) and 14th round (July 1958 - June 1959), though these results were not released. Efforts were made in subsequent years, however the government faced challenges in collecting reliable income data.
Statistics minister Rao Inderjit Singh told ET that the survey will be launched from February 2026 "for the purpose of estimating average income of rural and urban households."
The survey will also examine impact of technology adoption on household income (wages), the ministry noted.
A Technical Expert Group (TEG), chaired by Dr Surjit S Bhalla, former executive director of India, International Monetary Fund (IMF), has been established to oversee the survey.
"Recognizing the growing significance of such data, NSS ( National Sample Survey) acknowledges the urgent need for a dedicated income distribution survey to better understand the profound structural changes that have occurred in the Indian economy over the past 75 years," the ministry said.
Other members of the TEG include Ram Singh, member of the monetary policy committee (MPC) and director of Delhi School of Economics; Dr Rajesh Shukla, managing director and CEO, People's Research on India's Consumer Economy; Prof. Sonalde Desai of the National Council of Applied Economic Research; Prof. Praveen Jha from JNU's Centre for Economic Studies and Planning; Dr Tirthankar Patnaik, chief economist at National Stock Exchange of India; Aloke Kar, former professor at the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata; and Prof. Srijit Mishra, School of Economics, University of Hyderabad.
The expert group will advise the government on aspects regarding conceptual definitions, preparation of the survey methodology, sampling design, method of estimation, and will incorporate best practices adopted across the world.
MoSPI had previously collected information on household income along with the consumption expenditure surveys on experimental basis during the 9th round (May 1955 - September 1995) and 14th round (July 1958 - June 1959), though these results were not released. Efforts were made in subsequent years, however the government faced challenges in collecting reliable income data.
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