What is in news : New Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) is likely to be conducted in 2021-22

Background : The Government has decided not to release the results of the all-India household Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES), conducted during 2017-18, due to data quality issues.

What is the present status of poverty in India:

Consumer Expenditure Survey

• Time Interval: Traditionally, a quinquennial (recurring every five years) survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office – NSSO (comes under the National Statistical Office), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• Scope:
  • Collects information on the consumption spending patterns of households across the country, both urban and rural.
  • Information Generated
    • Reveals the average expenditure on goods (food and non-food) and services.
    • Helps generate estimates of household Monthly Per Capita Consumer Expenditure (MPCE) as well as the distribution of households and persons over the MPCE classes.
  • Significance in General
    • Helps in calculating the demand dynamics of the economy.
    • Helps in understanding the shifting priorities in terms of baskets of goods and services, thus provides pointers to the producers of goods and providers of services.
    • To assess living standards and growth trends across multiple strata.
  • Significance for Policymakers
    • Analytical as well as a forecasting tool which helps the Government in planning required interventions and policies.
    • Spot and address possible structural anomalies that may cause demand to shift in a particular manner in a specific socio-economic or regional division of the population.
    • Rebase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and other macro-economic indicators.