The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has announced a groundbreaking initiative to conduct its first-ever comprehensive full-fledged survey on income distribution. A Technical Expert Group (TEG) under the chairmanship of Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla has been constituted to guide the National Statistics Office in conducting this comprehensive survey, tentatively scheduled for 2026.
Prof. Srijit Mishra
Key Objectives:
– Assess Income Distribution: Given the structural changes the Indian economy has undergone over the last 75 years, there is an urgent need to provide valuable insights into household income distribution.
– Impact of Technology: The survey will also strive to capture the impact of technology adoption on household income (wages).
– Data Reliability: The TEG will address data reliability issues that hindered the past attempts and have more clarity in the survey procedures.
– Overall Guidance:, TEG will provide guidance in the finalisation of concepts and definitions, preparation of the survey method and instruments, sampling design and method of estimation, adoption of best practices from across the world, and finalisation of survey results and report.
Technical Expert Group:
The TEG comprises esteemed members, including:
– Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla (Chairman)
– Shri. Aloke Kar (Former Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata)
– Prof. Sonalde Desai (National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi)
– Prof. Praveen Jha (Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University)
– Prof. Srijit Mishra (School of Economics, University of Hyderabad)
– Dr. Tirthankar Patnaik (Chief Economist, National Stock Exchange of India)
– Dr. Rajesh Shukla (Managing Director & CEO, People Research on India’s Consumer Economy)
– Prof. Ram Singh (Director, Delhi School of Economics)
This survey will add a critical layer to India’s macroeconomic indicators, enabling informed policy decisions and a better understanding of the economy.