The latest report from the National Statistical Organisation (NSO) reveals notable shifts in the monthly expenditure and consumption habits of Indian households. While there’s a decline in spending on food and education, expenses on medical care, transportation, rent, and unhealthy substances like pan and tobacco have surged. Interestingly, rural and urban households exhibit similar spending patterns, except for a slight contrast in the consumption of protein sources, where urban areas show a decrease while rural regions display a marginal increase.
The release of the detailed Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, conducted from August 2022 to July 2023, by the government is awaited. This survey marks the first of its kind in almost a decade. It’s noteworthy that a previous NSO report from 2017-18 was discarded by the government citing concerns over data quality, though critics speculate it was due to unfavorable findings, notably showing a decline in household spending for the first time in forty years.
Over the past decade, both rural and urban India have shifted their expenditure patterns, reducing spending on food consumption while allocating more towards non-food items. The report highlights a growing reliance on unhealthy items like pan and tobacco, alongside increased expenditures on medical care, rent, and transportation. Additionally, there’s a widening rural-urban disparity in spending habits, with states like Gujarat exhibiting significant gaps in monthly expenditures between rural and urban areas, while Kerala and Punjab show minimal differences.
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