NewKerala.com

Key Points

Dr. Surjit Bhalla, former IMF Executive Director for India, is leading the Expert Group for the 2026 Household Income Survey. The group, established by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, aims to improve survey methods and enhance data reliability. Incorporating global best practices, the survey will evaluate technology's impact on household income. This initiative seeks to resolve data collection challenges faced in previous surveys and ensure accurate results.

Key Points: Dr. Surjit Bhalla Leads 2026 Household Income Survey Group

  • Dr. Surjit Bhalla chairs Expert Group for 2026 income survey
  • Group aims to refine survey methods and instruments
  • Experts to incorporate global best practices
  • Focus on technology's impact on household income
2 min read

Govt sets up Expert Group for Household Income Survey 2026

Dr. Surjit Bhalla heads Expert Group for India's 2026 income survey to enhance data accuracy.

"The TEG is expected to help overcome all these issues. - Official Statement"

New Delhi, June 23

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has constituted a Technical Expert Group (TEG) under the chairmanship of Dr. Surjit S.

Bhalla, former Executive Director of India, International Monetary Fund to guide the National Statistics Office towards conducting an all-India income distribution survey, tentatively scheduled for 2026, according to an official statement issued on Monday. The Expert Group will provide guidance with regard to finalisation of concepts and definitions, preparation of the survey method and instruments, sampling design and method of estimation, and incorporate best country practices as adopted across the world. The survey will also strive to assess the impact of the adoption of technology on household income (wages). The TEG will also provide guidance for finalisation of the survey results and report for release, the statement said.

In addition to having a Chairman and several official members from MoSPI and different Ministries and Departments of the Centre, the other members of the Technical Expert Group are as follows: Aloke Kar, former Professor, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, Prof Sonalde Desai, National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi, Prof Praveen Jha, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, JNU, Prof Srijit Mishra, School of Economics, University of Hyderabad, Dr Tirthankar Patnaik, Chief Economist, National Stock Exchange of India, Dr. Rajesh Shukla, Managing Director & CEO, People Research on India's Consumer Economy and Prof Ram Singh, Director, Delhi School of Economics.

The TEG may enlist the assistance of subject matter experts within and/ or outside the government and may co-opt them as members according to necessity, with the approval from the competent authority. It may invite subject experts in the meeting as special invitees, if necessary, in order to meet specific requirements, the statement said.

The expert group has been appointed as the MoSPI's earlier experience from surveys that were attempted showed that there were difficulties in collecting reliable income data in the field. The TEG is expected to help overcome all these issues and have more clarity in the survey procedures and to oversee the overall activities of the Household Income Survey, and also in view of the experiences of surveys conducted by countries like Australia, USA, Canada and South Africa, the statement added.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

Here are 5 diverse Indian perspective comments for the article:
R
Rahul K.
Finally! We need accurate income data to understand the real economic picture of India. The last proper survey was too long back. Hope they include gig workers and informal sector properly this time. Dr. Bhalla is a good choice to lead this initiative.
P
Priya M.
Good move but execution will be key. Many households under-report income due to tax fears. Hope the methodology accounts for this. Also, will they track income inequality between states? Southern states vs BIMARU states data would be eye-opening!
A
Amit S.
Why wait till 2026? With digital payments and GST data, can't we get faster estimates? 🤔 The expert panel looks impressive but hope this doesn't become another bureaucratic exercise that takes years to produce results.
S
Sunita R.
As a rural development worker, I hope they properly capture farm incomes and women's contribution to household earnings. Many surveys ignore women's unpaid labor and seasonal income variations. The inclusion of tech impact assessment is a welcome step!
V
Vikram D.
While the initiative is good, I'm concerned about data privacy. With Aadhaar linking everywhere, will household income data remain secure? Also hope the findings won't be politicized closer to 2029 elections. Data should speak truth, not political narratives.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50