On June 23, 2025, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) announced the formation of an 8-member Technical Expert Group (TEG) to design and oversee India’s first full-scale Household Income Survey, scheduled for February 2026. This survey is conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the MoSPI.
- The Technical Expert Group will be chaired by Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla, former Executive Director(ED) for India at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- This comprehensive survey aims to address the long-standing data gap in income distribution and assess the impact of technology on household wages, marking a significant advancement in evidence-based policymaking.
TEG Composition:
i.Chairman: Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla, former India Executive Director, IMF
ii.Members:
- Aloke Kar, Former Professor of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI),Kolkata (West Bengal, WB)
- Prof. Sonalde Desai, National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi (Delhi)
- Prof. Praveen Jha, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
- Prof. Srijit Mishra, School of Economics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad (Telangana).
- Dr. Tirthankar Patnaik: Chief Economist, National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), Mumbai (Maharashtra).
- Dr. Rajesh Shukla: Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), People Research on India’s Consumer Economy (PRICE)
- Prof. Ram Singh: Director, Delhi School of Economics (DSE) and External Member of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee(MPC).
iii.Additional MoSPI and government officials will also serve as panel members. The TEG may co-opt more experts when required.
Methodology & Implementation:
i.The TEG will guide the National Statistical Office (NSO) on all aspects of the survey, including:
- Finalisation of concepts and definitions
- Preparation of survey instruments and methods
- Sampling design and estimation techniques
- Adoption of international best practices from countries like Australia, United States of America (USA), Canada, and South Africa
- Assessment of the impact of technology adoption on household income
- Finalisation and public release of survey results and report
ii.The final report will support the analysis of regional income disparities, welfare targeting, and income inequality.
Historical Context of NSS:
i.1955–1959: Experimental surveys conducted in 9th and 14th rounds of the National Sample Survey (NSS); data not released due to reliability concerns
ii.1964–1970: The Integrated Household Survey (IHS), conducted during the 19th to 24th NSS rounds, was later discontinued due to inconsistencies observed between income, consumption, and savings data.
iii.1983–1984: Pilot study dropped due to operational infeasibility.
About Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI):
Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge, IC) – Rao Inderjit Singh
(Constituency- Gurugram, Haryana)
