New Delhi: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is set to conduct India’s first full-fledged national household income survey by 2026, marking a milestone in the country’s data ecosystem.
While the National Sample Survey (NSS) has been globally recognized for its household surveys since 1950, it has never executed a nationwide income distribution survey despite several pilot attempts. The new initiative is expected to bridge a critical data gap in understanding income dynamics and structural changes in the Indian economy over the last 75 years.
To steer this effort, MoSPI has constituted a Technical Expert Group (TEG) chaired by Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla, former Executive Director for India at the International Monetary Fund. The group will oversee key aspects of the survey, including definitions, methods, sampling design, and international best practices.
Members of the TEG include economists and statisticians from ISI Kolkata, JNU, University of Hyderabad, Delhi School of Economics, NCAER, and the National Stock Exchange.
The NSS has recently launched other forward-looking surveys covering private sector capex, domestic tourism, and the unincorporated sector. The income survey will also study how technology impacts wages and household earnings.
