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Kharge targets Centre, says Household Consumption Expenditure Survey ‘election-inspired’

Kharge further highlighted conflicting reports from NITI Aayog, citing a discrepancy in the poverty rates.

ByPTI

Published Feb 27, 2024 | 1:00 PM ⚊UpdatedFeb 27, 2024 | 1:00 PM

Mallikarjun Kharge

File photo of Mallikarjun Kharge. (Twitter)

Targetting the Union government for releasing an “election-inspired” Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, on Tuesday, 27 February, demanded a census be conducted soon for accurate information, insisting it should also incorporate a caste survey.

In a post on X in Hindi, Kharge said that after 10 years of “deep sleep”, the Modi government has finally come out with an “election-inspired” survey on public expenditure and income.

“The Modi government has made an unsuccessful attempt to pat itself on the back in the survey,” he said.

“We have only one demand, for correct information, the Census of 2021 should be done as soon as possible and a caste census should be a part of it. The Congress party will definitely get it done as soon as its government is formed,” the Congress chief added.

Also Read: Household expenditure has increased over the years. What’s its impact on health?

Questions manipulation of data

  • Kharge questions the credibility of the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, citing concerns about the daily spending of the poorest five percent of rural India, which is only ₹46.
  • He raises doubts about the benefits reaching the poorest families, pointing out that they receive only ₹68/month from government schemes, questioning if the remaining benefits go to capitalist friends.
  • Kharge questions the disparity between the monthly income of farmers and the average income of rural India.
  • He criticises the marginal reduction of 1.5 percent in fuel expenditure for rural families, despite the government’s promotion of the Ujjwala scheme.
  • Kharge highlights conflicting reports from NITI Aayog, citing a discrepancy between the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (indicating a five percent poverty rate) and the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index (reporting 11.28 percent).
  • He accuses the Modi government of making fun of the poor and urges not to lower the reputation of India’s data collection and surveys.
  • Kharge suggests that the government may manipulate criteria for measuring food inflation data in the survey to hide actual inflation.
  • He questions the government’s attempt to change the base year of GDP to 2017-18, claiming it could be to gain electoral advantage and hide real facts.
  • Kharge points out ambiguity in naming the survey rounds, suggesting it might be intentional to allow undetected data manipulation.

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