The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Monday announced that it has formed a Technical Expert Group (TEG) to oversee India’s first full-scale household income distribution survey, scheduled for 2026.
The National Sample Survey (NSS), despite over seven decades of survey experience, has never conducted a comprehensive income survey. Past efforts, including pilot studies and experimental rounds between 1955 and 1984, did not lead to a nationwide rollout due to data reliability issues.
Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla, former Executive Director for India at the IMF, will chair the TEG. Members include Aloke Kar, Prof. Sonalde Desai, Prof. Praveen Jha, Prof. Srijit Mishra, Dr. Tirthankar Patnaik, Dr. Rajesh Shukla, and Prof. Ram Singh.
Officials from MoSPI and other central ministries will also be part of the panel.
The expert group will finalise survey design, methodology, and estimation techniques. It will also study international practices and assess how technology adoption impacts household income.
NSS has recently launched new annual surveys on unincorporated enterprises, services, capital expenditure, and domestic tourism to fill key data gaps. The income survey is set to add a critical layer to India’s macroeconomic indicators.
