Trends in household consumption
The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) released the results of the latest Household Consumption Expenditure Survey a few days ago. The report highlights some interesting trends in household consumption patterns over the last two decades. The changes in the rural consumption patterns are particularly noteworthy. Some of the key highlights of the survey could be listed as follows: Consumption levels · The average monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) in rural areas is Rs3773 while in urban areas it is about 71% higher at Rs6459. · Rural population spends 46% on food and 54% on non-food items. While in urban India this ratio is 39% and 61%. Consumption disparities · There is a significant regional skew in both rural and urban expenditure levels . Sikkim has the largest MPCE (Rs7731 for rural and Rs12105 for urban...