Govt scraps NSO's consumer expenditure survey over 'data quality'

The findings of the report, published by Business Standard on Friday, showed consumer spending falling for the first time in over four decades in 2017-18

The government has decided to scrap the National Statistical Office’s (NSO’s) consumer expenditure survey conducted in 2017-18 over “data quality”.

“In view of the data quality issues, the Ministry (of Statistics and Programme Implementation) has decided not to release the consumer expenditure survey results of 2017-2018. The ministry is separately examining the feasibility of conducting the next consumer expenditure survey in 2020-21 and 2021-22 after incorporating all data quality refinements in the survey process,” an official statement released on Friday said.

This implies that India will unlikely have an estimate on poverty for a period of 10 years. The previous round of