Measurement of Consumption Inequality of Cereals in Major States of India

Authors

  • Mukesh Joint Director, Coordination and Publication Division, National Sample Survey Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, New Delhi
  • Kamal Pandey Deputy Director, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India, New Delhi
  • Neha Srivastava Joint Director, India Statistical Strengthening Project, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India, New Delhi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2019/v38/i1/117233

Keywords:

Per Capita, Cereal, Consumption, Inequality, Decile Class

Abstract

Studying inequalities of income and consumption is a prerequisite for developing framework for narrowing them and achieving equitable and sustainable growth. In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the inequality of cereal consumption which persists in the major States between different consumption segments. Per capita consumption of cereals as a whole, as well as rice, wheat and coarse grain has been studied, separately making use of unit level data of the latest consumer expenditure survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office, Government of India during the year 2011-2012. The ratios of per capita consumption of the richest households (top 10 per cent) with households belonging to the ‘poorest’ (10 per cent), the ‘poor’ (30 per cent) and the ‘less advantaged half’ (50 per cent) have been taken as a measure of consumption inequality. The study reveals that inequality, in terms of consumption of rice and wheat, exists in almost all major States in rural areas. The extent of inequality decreases as the base of the bottom population increases. The urban areas have either low levels of inequality or even reverse inequality of cereal consumption. Most of rural India has not been able to achieve equality of cereal consumption, despite focused nutrition intervention of targeted PDS.

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Published

2019-03-28

How to Cite

Mukesh, Pandey, K., & Srivastava, N. (2019). Measurement of Consumption Inequality of Cereals in Major States of India. Journal of Rural Development, 38(1), 01–29. https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2019/v38/i1/117233

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