The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) plans to conduct an all-India income distribution survey in 2026.
- NSS has launched new annual surveys on: Unincorporated sector enterprises, Service sectors,
Private sector capital investment, and Domestic travel and tourism.
- These surveys aim to fill data gaps in India’s macroeconomic statistics.
What Is the Household Income Survey?
- It is India’s first full-scale national survey to measure household income and its distribution across the country.
- The survey will also study how technology adoption affects wages and income patterns
Why Is it Important?
- India has never conducted a comprehensive income survey before—only pilot studies were done in the 1950s, 60s, and 80s.
- Past attempts failed due to data reliability issues, where reported income was lower than consumption and savings combined.
- The new survey aims to fill this critical data gap and support evidence-based policymaking.
What Will the Survey Cover?
- Household income levels across different regions and sectors.
- Sources of income (wages, rent, pensions, remittances, etc.).
- Impact of digital and technological changes on earnings.
- Sampling design, estimation methods, and global best practices will be incorporated
The Path Forward: A New Dedicated Survey
- Technical Expert Group (TEG): To address the challenges and ensure a successful survey, a Technical Expert Group (TEG) has been formed.
- Purpose of TEG: This group will guide the National Statistics Office (NSO) in all aspects of conducting an all-India income distribution survey,
How will the TEG Help?
The TEG will provide crucial guidance on:
- Concepts and Definitions: Deciding what exactly counts as income and how different types of income will be defined.
- Survey Methods and Tools: Developing the best ways to collect data and creating the necessary questionnaires.
- Sampling and Estimation: Deciding how to select households for the survey and how to analyze the collected data to get accurate national estimates.
- Best Practices: Incorporating successful approaches used in similar surveys in countries like Australia, USA, Canada, and South Africa.
- Reporting: Guiding the finalization of the survey results and the official report.
National Sample Survey (NSS)
- It is a large-scale, continuous survey program under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
- Launched in 1950 on the recommendation of the National Income Committee, chaired by Prof. P.C. Mahalanobis.
- Conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), now part of the National Statistical Office (NSO).
- NSSO (Established in 1970) was the operational arm conducting NSS surveys.
- In May 2019, the Government of India merged NSSO and CSO to form the National Statistical Office (NSO).
- NSO now serves as the central authority for all official statistics in India under MoSPI.
- Key functions
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- Conducts multi-subject socio-economic surveys regularly.
- Supports Annual Survey of Industries, crop estimation, and price data collection.
- NSS data is crucial for government policy-making.
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24 Jun 2025
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