Parliament Question: Gap in Consumption Capacity between States

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No: 666 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.07.2026 GAP IN CONSUMPTION CAPACITY BETWEEN STATES

666. SHRI T R BAALU:

Will the Minister of STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME

IMPLEMENTATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has carried out studies on Consumer Prices recently and if so, the details thereof along with the findings;

(b) the details of average Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure during the last three years, according to official surveys;

(c) whether it is a fact that there is big difference in Consumption Expenditure and purchasing power amongst States and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the details of the actions being taken by Union Government including policy interventions to reduce the gap in Consumption capacity between States? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE (RAO INDERJIT SINGH)

(a): No specific study on consumer prices has been undertaken by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) recently.

However, MoSPI has strengthened the Consumer Price Index (CPI) compilation framework through a comprehensive base revision from 2012 to 2024, using the latest Household Consumption ExpenditureSurvey (HCES) 2023–24. CPI is a measure of movement of prices in the items consumed by the Households.

(b) & (c): MoSPI conducts survey on Household Consumption Expenditure at regular intervals wherein information on consumption of food and non-food items by the household are collected. The latest surveys on Household Consumption Expenditure (HCES) were conducted during August, 2022 – July, 2023 and August, 2023 – July,

2024. Prior to this, the survey on the said subject was conducted in NSS 68th round during July, 2011- June, 2012. Information on Average Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) for each State/UT across rural and urban sectors from the last two surveys of HCES conducted during 2022-23 & 2023-24 is given at Annexure. MoSPI, however, has not conducted any study/survey on the difference in Consumption Expenditure and purchasing power amongst States.

(d): The Government has undertaken various policy measures to enhance household consumption, strengthen purchasing power and promote inclusive economic growth across States. It has sustained public investment in infrastructure and continued support for employment generation and skill development. Access to affordable credit has been expanded through schemes such as PM MUDRA Yojana and PM SVANidhi.

Financial inclusion has been strengthened through the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana with over 95 per cent of households having access to a bank account. The Government has also promoted digital financial services through the continued zero Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) regime for UPI transactions. Direct Benefit Transfer, enabled through the JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) trinity, has ensured the efficient and transparent transfer of welfare benefits directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts. In addition, income tax relief measures, GST rate rationalisation, reduction in customs duties on selected inputs and intermediate goods, and targeted welfare interventions have supported disposable incomes and domestic demand.

*****Annexure Average monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) by State/UT and sector from

HCES: 2022-23 & 2023-24 Average MPCE (Rs.) State/UT/All-India 2022-23 2023-24 Rural Urban Rural Urban

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Andhra Pradesh 4,870 6,782 5,327 7,182 Arunachal Pradesh 5,276 8,636 5,995 9,832 Assam 3,432 6,136 3,793 6,794 Bihar 3,384 4,768 3,670 5,080 Chhattisgarh 2,466 4,483 2,739 4,927 Delhi 6,576 8,217 7,400 8,534 Goa 7,367 8,734 8,048 9,726 Gujarat 3,798 6,621 4,116 7,175 Haryana 4,859 7,911 5,377 8,427 Himachal Pradesh 5,561 8,075 5,825 9,223 Jharkhand 2,763 4,931 2,946 5,393 Karnataka 4,397 7,666 4,903 8,076 Kerala 5,924 7,078 6,611 7,783 Madhya Pradesh 3,113 4,987 3,441 5,538 Maharashtra 4,010 6,657 4,145 7,363 Manipur 4,360 4,880 4,531 5,945 Meghalaya 3,514 6,433 3,852 7,839Mizoram 5,224 7,655 5,963 8,709 Nagaland 4,393 7,098 5,155 8,022 Odisha 2,950 5,187 3,357 5,825 Punjab 5,315 6,544 5,817 7,359 Rajasthan 4,263 5,913 4,510 6,574 Sikkim 7,731 12,105 9,377 13,927 Tamil Nadu 5,310 7,630 5,701 8,165 Telangana 4,802 8,158 5,435 8,978 Tripura 5,206 7,405 6,259 8,034 Uttar Pradesh 3,191 5,040 3,481 5,395 Uttarakhand 4,641 7,004 5,003 7,486 West Bengal 3,239 5,267 3,620 5,775 Andaman & N. Island 7,332 10,268 7,771 10,453 Chandigarh 7,467 12,575 8,857 13,425 Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu 4,184 6,298 4,311 6,837 Jammu & Kashmir 4,296 6,179 4,774 6,327 Ladakh 4,035 6,215 5,010 7,533 Lakshadweep 5,895 5,475 6,350 6,377 Puducherry 6,590 7,706 7,598 8,637 All-India 3,773 6,459 4,122 6,996

Source: NSS Report nos. 591 & 592 (Survey on Household Consumption Expenditure)