Can't compare GDP data with consumer spending report, says govt panel

A fall in household spending is a signal that poverty may have increased, according to experts

The findings of the National Statistical Office (NSO)’s consumer expenditure report of 2017-18 can’t be compared with the consumption data derived from gross domestic product (GDP), said a panel.

The committee, set up by the Union government to review the survey, gave explanations for a decline in expenditure witnessed across various food and non-food items, especially in rural areas, which may find a place in the survey report of 2017-18, expected to be released within two months (see chart).

Business Standard reported last month that consumer spending fell for the first time in over four decades — by 3.7 per cent —