22nd Nov 2019 10:11:PM Editorials
Eastern Sentinel Arunachal News

It is always taken as an accepted norm to rely heavily on data and statistical figures while dealing with a serious subject like economics and practically, without all these, it’s nearly next to impossible to make any comparative analyses. It can be recounted that last week, National Statistical Office took the decision of putting under carpet  the survey data on consumer expenditure for 2017-18 that actually depicts a downslide, with the logic that it has ‘qualitative’ drawbacks. Interestingly, the decision was taken after it got leaked and landed on public domain leading to wide-scale protests from various quarters where the central and unanimous view was- had the figures been agreeable, there wouldn’t had been such a decision. Even if the issue is serious, particularly if viewed in the light of the current economic distress, it got somehow got submerged in the wave of talks revolving on ‘heavyweights’ of the likes of NRC, CAB, disinvestments etc. But thanks to an academic think tank comprising over 200 respected professors and teachers of economics and statistics associated with the best universities and institutes in India and world who made a joint statement on Thursday reprimanding the move, the issue is once again back in limelight, and deservingly so.

It’s not without reasons why such an overarching importance is laid on this data reminding the urgency of need for taking it seriously. This is since it deals exclusively with an all-India survey on household consumption expenditure which is highly crucial and an absolute necessity for monitoring poverty and inequality, the two most all-time pressing issues of Indian economy. As per the leaked data, there is a drop of 3.7% in real per capita consumer expenditure between 2011-12 and 2017-18. What is worrying is that, an actual drop in per capita consumer expenditure is a sign of alarm for the economy, that necessitates undertaking some immediate course of corrective actions. Again, the other distressing factor that transpires is that, such a poor report card has come for the first time in over four decades, last time being 1972-73 when a poor harvest coupled with the external factor of international oil price rise were main contributors. But this time, since there are no such factors at play, it wouldn’t be incorrect to deduce that there must be ‘other causes’ behind that needs recognition at the first instance followed by rectification measures next.

But sadly, apathy for data that portray sordid picture continues, only delaying the treatment process of the current ailing economy. The episode, by the way, also points out the need for keeping the country’s statistical institutions strictly out of political interference. For the sake of national interest, this is a proposition that demands profound thinking.


Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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