New Delhi: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has constituted a technical expert group to advise the National Statistical Office (NSO) on India’s first full-fledged household income distribution survey, expected to take place in 2026. The panel will be chaired by Surjit S Bhalla, former Executive Director representing India at the International Monetary Fund.
The ministry, in a statement released Monday, said the expert group will be tasked with providing comprehensive guidance on key aspects of the survey, including the development of definitions and concepts, design of the survey framework, formulation of sampling techniques, and methods of data estimation. The group is also expected to ensure the integration of internationally accepted practices.
“This initiative represents a significant step towards understanding income distribution dynamics at a national level,” said a senior MoSPI official.
The technical group comprises a mix of prominent academics and policy experts. Among its members are Aloke Kar, former professor at the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata; Sonalde Desai of the National Council of Applied Economic Research; Praveen Jha from the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning at Jawaharlal Nehru University; Srijit Mishra of the University of Hyderabad’s School of Economics; and Tirthankar Patnaik, Chief Economist at the National Stock Exchange of India. Also on the panel are Rajesh Shukla, MD & CEO of People Research on India’s Consumer Economy, and Ram Singh, Director at Delhi School of Economics.
The group has been empowered to draw on the expertise of individuals within and outside the government as needed. It may also invite subject matter specialists to participate in meetings as special invitees.
One of the key objectives of the upcoming survey is to evaluate the impact of technological advancements on household earnings. The NSO is expected to use insights from the panel to prepare the instruments and strategy necessary for collecting accurate and comprehensive income data across different population segments. India has a long history of large-scale household surveys conducted under the National Sample Survey (NSS) framework, which began in 1950. These surveys have been instrumental in providing data for policy formulation across multiple sectors. However, a detailed, nationally representative income distribution survey has never been fully realised.
Efforts to collect income-related data date back to the 1950s, with initial attempts made in the 9th and 14th rounds of the NSS. These rounds included experimental modules on income along with consumer expenditure. However, none of those studies led to a consolidated national-level income survey report.
In subsequent rounds, notably the 19th and 24th, the NSS collected information on household receipts and disbursements as part of the Integrated Household Survey (IHS). These efforts were eventually discontinued due to inconsistencies — notably, income estimates often fell short of combined figures for consumption and savings.
A final attempt was made in 1983-84 with a pilot enquiry on income, but this too remained limited in scope and did not evolve into a national survey.
The forthcoming initiative in 2026 will mark the first time the NSO embarks on a full-scale income survey with such structured expert guidance, potentially setting a new benchmark in household data collection.