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MSP is helping, but only Rice & Wheat growing farmers from a few states
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 5, 2020
One of the key arguments of those opposing the recently notified agriculture acts is that a large number of farmers are going to lose out on MSP procurement because of these bills. But what share of the total production of food grains, especially Rice & Wheat is procured by the government at MSP? Is this procurement even across the states? We find out.
On 28 September 2020, the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to the three farm bills that were earlier passed by the parliament. Earlier on 17September 2020, the Lok Sabha passed three new farm bills, namely:
As per the government’s justification, one of the highlights of these bills is the freedom provided for farmers to directly sell their produce, thereby creating an opportunity to get a higher price for their crops. Although the government has stated that the MSP (Minimum Support Price) procurement system will continue, the new bills have become contentious with apprehensions being raised about income security of the farmers. The opposition has been alleging that these bills are a precursor to the government eventually doing away with MSP procurement.  The clarification from the government do not seem to have assuaged the fears of the farming community and there have been protests by farmers across the country.
The opinion of the experts is divided on these new bills. While a few experts hail these bills as a 1991 moment for the Indian agriculture which will eventually fetch greater returns to the farmers, there are others who argue that the bills will do more harm than good for the farmers.
There are broadly two arguments from both sides. Those in favour of these bills argue that an open market will fetch a better price for the farmer because of the competition. The ones against base their argument on MSP being a saviour to the farmers. In this series, we take a look at both these arguments.
In the first story of this series, we look at numbers relating to MSP and the MSP procurement trend across the country and understand what proportion of the total production in the country is procured at MSP. We also look at state-wise MSP procurement trends to understand which states benefit the most today from the MSP regime.
MSP of Jowar and Ragi increased the greatest over the last 10 marketing years
We have earlier written an explainer on the role of FCI in procurement of the produce from the farmers at the MSP fixed by the government. Apart from fixing MSP for Rice and Wheat, the government also fixes MSP for Coarse grain like Jowar, Bajra, Ragi, Maize and Barley.
The MSP for Rice and Wheat, the largest produced crops has only marginally increased over the 10-year period (2011-21). For the Marketing year 2011-12, the MSP provided by the government for Paddy of Common type was Rs.1080 per quintal, while that of Grade-A paddy was Rs.1,110 per quintal. After a marginal increase year-on-year, there was a considerable increase for Marketing year 2018-19. For the Marketing year of 2020-21, the MSP for the two variants of Paddy is Rs. 1868 and Rs. 1888 respectively i.e. an increase by 73% and 70% respectively in these 10 years. During the same period, the MSP of Wheat increased by 64.5% i.e. from Rs. 1170 in 2011-12 to Rs. 1925 in 2020-21.
Meanwhile, the MSP for few of the coarse grains has increased considerably compared to Rice and Wheat.  The two variants of Jowar i.e. Maldandi and Hybrid have increased by around 165% during the 10-year period.
Currently, Ragi is the crop which receives the highest MSP. For the Marketing year 2020-21, the MSP for Ragi is Rs. 3295 per quintal. It also has the highest increment during the 10-year period, the MSP has more than tripled from Rs. 1050 in 2011-12 to Rs. 3295 in 2020-21.
The MSP of Bajra has more than doubled in 10 years while the increase in the MSP of Maize and Barley is comparatively lesser.
The proportion of Rice procured at MSP has slightly increased over the last two years
During the five-year period 2015-20, the total production of Rice has increased from 1,044.88 lakh tons to 1,179.39 lakh tons.  During this period, the MSP for Paddy (common) has increased from Rs. 1410 per quintal to Rs. 1815 per quintal.
Despite this increase in production, only a fraction of the total produce is actually procured by the government through FCI and state agencies. There has been a slight increase in the proportion procured by the government over the last two years. During 2018-19, out of the total production of 1,164.78 lakh tons, 443.99 lakh tons was procured i.e. around 38%. This is comparatively higher than earlier years where the procurement was around 1/3 the total produce.
Meanwhile, the procurement in 2019-20 has increased to 43% of the total production. This can be attributed to the increase in the procurement targets from the government in line with the COVID-19 relief package announced by the government. As on 31August 2020, around 510.12 lakh tons was procured of the 1,179.9 lakh tons of rice produced in 2019-20.
It has to be noted that even the procurement target set by the government is only around 35% to 40% of the total produce. It most years, the actual procurement is less than the set target. This was discussed in detail in an earlier story. As indicated earlier, the higher procurement in 2019-20, beyond the set targets is due to the increase in requirement to meet the demand of COVID-19 relief package.
Slight increase in the proportion of wheat procured but still below the set target
In 2015-16, the total wheat production in India is 922.88 lakh tons, whereas the procurement by the government was only around 25% of the total produce i.e. 229.62 lakh tons. This was also below the set procurement target of 330 lakh tones.
In the subsequent years, the production of Wheat increased every year, which also contributed towards an increased volume of wheat being procured. With the exception of 2018-19, the proportion of wheat procured out of the produce has also increased compared to previous year.
For the current market season i.e. 2020-21 the Government of India has set a higher target of 407 lakh tons anticipating a higher production. It ought to be noted that the production is computed for previous year (2019-20) while the harvest & procurement is done in the early months of 2020-21.  For the production year 2019-20, as against the 1071.91 lakh tons produced, 389.83 lakh tons is procured. Although, as on date, it falls below the set target, it is still the highest procurement of wheat in a marketing season. For the ongoing season, the procurement is already 36% of the produce.
The quantum of MSP procurement is highly uneven across the states
While the numbers show an improvement in the proportion of rice and wheat being procured by the government at MSP,  this is not even across the states. For few of the states, a major portion of the produce is procured by the government while for few others, the MSP procurement is bare minimum.
In the case of Rice, a major portion of produce in Punjab, Telangana, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha is procured by the government at MSP.  Roughly around 90% of the rice produce in Punjab and Haryana is procured by the government. This explains the widespread protests against the farm bills in these two states.
The procurement from these states increased in 2019-20 in view of COVID-19 relief measures. It is more prominent in Telangana, where 97% of the production in the current year has been procured at MSP so far.  Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, which are among the higher Rice producing states, less than 20% of the total produce is procured by the government at MSP.
This disparity can be seen even in the case of Wheat. As is the case with Rice, Punjab and Haryana have a significant portion of their production being procured by the government at MSP. The procurement from Madhya Pradesh increased in the current Market year, but on an average around 40-45% of the total Wheat produce in Madhya Pradesh is procured by the government at MSP. On the other hand, less than 20% of the produce in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh is procured at MSP. Meanwhile, the procurement by the government in Gujarat, Bihar and Maharashtra is next to zero.
MSP is helping, but only the farmers from a few states
It is apparent from the data that the government procurement of Rice and Wheat  at MSP across the states is highly uneven and skewed towards certain states. While, there are limitations on how much the FCI can procure, an ideal situation would be the procurement distributed evenly across the states. MSP is helping the rice & wheat producing farmers, but only in a few states where the government is procuring substantial amounts. In the case of the other crops, the MSP procurement is very little across the country.  There could be many factors influencing these disparities like the lack of FCI & related procurement facilities in few states, the availability of better or more remunerative procurement options or the FCI imposed state specific targets.
Hence, the argument that the new farm bills are going to rob farmers across the country of MSP procurement does not hold since the MSP procurement is highly skewed.
In the next story, we explore the possible reasons for the disparity among the states including open market price for certain crops and ascertain the impact the new farm bills could have on specific states.

created: October 5, 2020


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Data: Multidimensional Poverty estimates by NITI Aayog significantly lower than priority household beneficiaries under NFSA
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 11, 2021
The NITI Aayog recently released the National Multidimensional Poverty Index: Baseline Report 2021. The report identifies 25.01% of India’s population as multidimensionally poor. However, this estimate is significantly lower than the Priority Household beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act.
Poverty elimination lies at the core of India’s national development agenda. Reliable estimation of poverty is the first step towards eradication of poverty as a basic input for the design, implementation and monitoring of anti-poverty programmes. India has undertaken periodic assessments of the incidence of poverty since the 1960s. The erstwhile Planning Commission released the estimates of poverty as the number of persons below the poverty line (BPL) as a percentage of the Indian population for the years 1973-74 to 2011-12.
For 2011-12, based on the Tendulkar poverty line, Planning Commission released poverty data, where the number of poor in the country was pegged at 269.8 million or 21.9% of the population, as against 29.8% in 2009-10. The Tendulkar Expert Group validated the poverty lines by checking the adequacy of actual private consumption expenditure per capita near the poverty line on food, education, and health, resulting in the figure of Rs. 32 and Rs. 26 a day for urban and rural areas. However, this estimation faced widespread criticism and the Rangarajan Committee was formed in 2012, which recommended raising the daily per capita expenditure to Rs. 47 and Rs. 32 in urban and rural areas, respectively, at 2010-11 prices. The government did not take a final call on the report of the Rangarajan Committee. After 2010-211, no official poverty estimates in India were released.
As shortcomings of poverty measurements based on consumption by various Committees became apparent, the poverty line approach was abandoned by the NITI Aayog, which replaced the Planning Commission on 1 January 2015. The multi-dimensional character of poverty was recognized. In the above content, the NITI Aayog recently released the National Multidimensional Poverty Index: Baseline Report 2021.
25% of Indians multidimensionally poor
The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is based on three dimensions — health, education, and standard of living — with each having a weightage of one-third in the index. These dimensions are further based on 12 segments — nutrition, child and adolescent mortality, antenatal care, years of schooling, school attendance, cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water, electricity, housing, assets, and bank accounts.
This baseline report of India’s first-ever national MPI measure is based on the reference period of 2015-16 of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) i.e., NFHS 4th round. India has made remarkable strides through flagship programmatic interventions in housing, electricity, sanitation, drinking water, and cooking fuel, among others, as reflected in initial publications of NFHS 5th round (2019-20). Since the NFHS dataset is not available for all indicators and states, the baseline report and MPI index estimation is presently based on NFHS-4 and it will be updated once the complete NFHS-5 dataset is available.
The MPI (multidimensional poverty index) report identifies 25.01% of India’s population as multidimensionally poor. About 32.75% of the population in rural areas and 8.81% of the population in urban areas have been identified as multidimensionally poor, as per the MPI 2021 Report.
Among Indian states, Bihar records the highest headcount poverty ratio with 51.91% of the population who are multidimensionally poor. This is followed by Jharkhand (42.16%), Uttar Pradesh (37.79%), Madhya Pradesh (36.65%), Meghalaya (32.67%) and so on.
The lowest headcount poverty ratio among the Indian States has been recorded for Kerala at 0.71%. In other words, less than 1% of Kerala’s population is multidimensionally poor as per the MPI.  Other states that recorded a low share of the population as multidimensionally poor are Goa (3.76%), Sikkim (3.82%), Tamil Nadu (4.89%), Punjab (5.59%), Himachal Pradesh (7.62%), and so on.
More than half the Indians are deprived of clean cooking fuel & adequate sanitation facilities
The highest proportion of the population is deprived in the cooking fuel and sanitation categories at 58.5% and 52%, respectively. In other words, more than half of India’s population does not have access to clean cooking fuels/technology and appropriate sanitation facilities.
Housing is the third most common deprivation category, wherein 45.6% of the population has inadequate housing (the floor is made of natural materials, or the roof or wall is made of rudimentary materials).
This is followed by nutrition (37.6%), maternal health (22.6%), drinking water (14.6%), assets (14%), years of schooling (13.9%), electricity (12.2%), bank account (9.7%), school attendance (6.4%) and child and adolescent mortality (2.7%).
Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha are most deprived of cooking fuel, while Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura most deprived in housing, as per the MPI report
In the MPI report, under the cooking fuel deprivation category, a household is deprived if the primary source of cooking fuel is dung, agricultural crops, shrubs, wood, charcoal, or coal.
In Bihar, about 82.9% of the population does not have access to clean cooking fuel, followed by Jharkhand (82.14%), Odisha (80.94%), Chhattisgarh (80.94%), Assam (77.12%) and so on. The states with the least deprived proportion of the population in the cooking gas category are Goa (14.91%), Tamil Nadu (24.07%), Telangana (31.66%), Mizoram (32.18%) and others.
According to the NFHS-5 results, (not included in the present MPI estimation), significant progress is witnessed in terms of improved access to clean cooking fuel amongst all states. In Bihar, the percentage of population deprived of cooking fuel stands at 63.2% in 2019-20, as compared to 83% in 2015-16. In Jharkhand, the deprivation changes from 82% to 68%, in Assam 77% to 60.5%, in Karnataka 45.5% to 21.9%, and so on between NFHS 4 & 5.
However, these improved results are not represented in the present national MPI. The next round of MPI estimations soon will consider the improved values of developmental indicators, as evident in the NFHS-5 (2019-20) dataset.
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura most deprived in housing, as per MPI report
In the MPI report, under the housing deprivation category, a household is deprived if the household has inadequate housing: the floor is made of natural materials, or the roof or wall is made of rudimentary materials.
In Manipur, about 81.49% of the population are deprived in the housing category, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (76.15%), Assam (75.90%), Tripura (74.66%), Bihar (73.73%), and so on. The states with the least deprived proportion of the population in the cooking gas category are Kerala (10.76%), Goa (16.16%), Andhra Pradesh (17.55%), Punjab (19.30%), and so on.
According to NFHS-5 results (for a limited number of states), improvements in housing can be observed for several states. For instance, in Manipur, the proportion of the population deprived of adequate housing stands at 76.8% in 2019-20, as compared to 81.5% in 2015-16. In Assam, the deprivation changes from 75.9% to 69.3%, in Bihar 73.7% to 67%, in Nagaland 71% to 66.4%, and so on between NFHS-4 & NFHS-5.
The burden of malnutrition is highest in Bihar at 52%, followed by Jharkhand, MP, UP
While the report covers a total of 12 indicators, we focus on nutrition and look at the state-wise trends in nutrition deprivation. In the MPI report, under the nutrition deprivation category, a household is deprived if any child between the ages of 0 to 59 months, or woman between the ages of 15 to 49 years, or man between the ages of 15 to 54 years -for whom nutritional information is available – is found to be undernourished.
In Bihar, about 51.88% of the population is deprived in the nutrition category, followed by Jharkhand (47.99%), Madhya Pradesh (45.49%), Uttar Pradesh (44.47%), Chhattisgarh (43.02%), and so on. The states with the least deprived proportion of the population in the nutrition category are Sikkim (13.32%), Kerala (15.29%), Arunachal Pradesh (21.04%), Mizoram (21.37%), and so on.
While NFHS-5 (2019-20) estimates from Phase I & II present new estimations on nutrition, the present MPI calculation is based on nutrition estimations from NFHS-4 (2015-16). One of our earlier stories highlight and deep dives into the changes in certain states’ nutritional status from Phase – of NFHS-5.
NFSA coverage represents high levels of food vulnerability across the country
In terms of nutrition parameters, apart from NFHS rounds, the National Food Security Scheme 2013 (NFSA) also estimates the proportion of vulnerable households vis-à-vis food and nutrition security. To alleviate poverty, NFSA claims the right to receive food-grains at subsidized prices by persons belonging to eligible households, that is Priority House Holds (PHH) under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).
Prior to implementing NFSA, there were mainly three types of ration cards issued by State Governments such as APL (above poverty line), BPL (below poverty line) and AAY (Antyodaya, meaning poorest of the poor) distinguished by different colours. According to NFSA 2013, the households have been re-classified into two categories: Non-Priority and Priority. Eligibility in the PHH category is determined by respective state governments and has been divided into 4 sub-categories:
The Priority household (PHH) represents the most vulnerable sections in the society vis-à-vis food and nutrition security. One such State example of determining PHH/ Priority households under NFSA is given below. Thus, the NFSA prioritizes household needs considering not only their income but other socioeconomic imbalances in the society.
At present, NFSA covers up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population in the country. Based on this, state-wise coverage under NFSA was determined by the erstwhile Planning Commission—now NITI Aayog—by using the National Sample Survey of Household Consumption Expenditure Survey data for 2011-12. Since then, the state-wise coverage ratio has not been revised.
At an all-India level, about 59.02% of population (in terms of the number of persons) is categorised under the Priority Household category. It has to be noted that NFSA statistics provide coverage in terms of the proportion of households as well as persons/population. Here, we have used the latter to contrast the NFSA coverage with MPI indicators.
Among Indian states, Manipur has the highest proportion of the population under Priority households at 83.26%, followed by Bihar at 71.88%, Assam at 71.21%, Chhattisgarh at 70.61%, Jharkhand at 68.47%, and so on.
In other words, the proportion of the population recognised as vulnerable vis-à-vis food and nutrition security under NFSA as priority households are 59.02% at an all-India level. Almost half of all Indian states have more than 50% of their population under the priority household category. The extend of food insecurity represented by NFSA coverage (under PHH households) paints a rather grim picture.
Priority Households under NFSA & MPI are two different Metrics
It is important to reiterate that NFSA statistics and MPI are two different metrics, with distinct purposes and methodologies. Therefore, no comparisons can be drawn between the two indicators plainly. However, we can note that extend of food and nutrition vulnerability indicated by NFSA coverage (under priority households, in terms of the number of persons) is considerably higher, than the proportion of population identified as multidimensionally poor by the MPI.
This demonstrates one way in which poverty estimations often fall in grey areas. Measuring poverty has evolved globally over the years. From conventional methods where minimum income (or expenditure) was estimated to MPI index calculated by setting deprivation cut-offs, this example demonstrates the challenges in capturing the depths and severity of various dimensions of poverty.
Featured Image: Multidimensional Poverty estimates Report of the NITI Aayog

source: news-factly

created: December 11, 2021

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Data: Multiple Batting & Bowling Records Broken in the 2023 Cricket World Cup - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 24, 2023
The 2023 Cricket World Cup witnessed multiple previous records both batting & bowling beaten and new records getting created. From the greatest margin in terms of runs to most centuries to sixes, multiple new records were created. Here is a review.
The recently concluded 13 edition of Men’s One Day International (ODI) 2023 Cricket World Cup (2023 CWC) in which Australia emerged as the 6 time champion has witnessed multiple existing CWC records being broken and new records getting created. Factly has earlier published a story on how the previous 12 CWCs data showed the increasing trend of higher margins of victories and higher scoring rates.
In this story, we look at previous CWC records being equalled, broken, and new records created in the 2023 CWC.
Methodology
The data has been sourced from Dataful, which has compiled the dataset on all the matches played in CWCs with the scores, wickets, teams, winners, and other aspects. This data is used for the purpose of analysis of this story.
India stands 2nd in most consecutive wins in CWC history
In the 2003 and 2007 CWCs held in South Africa and West Indies, respectively, the Australian team, the Champion of both these World Cups, held the peculiar record of going unbeaten in all the 11 matches played by them in each of the World Cups. Besides Australia, no other team in the entire history of previous CWCs has ever held this record or has come close to this record. Only India stood as the next team with the most consecutive number of wins across CWCs with 8 consecutive wins in the 2003 (the 8 edition) CWC. In the 2023 CWC, India broke its own 2003 CWC record with 10 consecutive wins before the finals.
Batting Records
Factly’s analysis in the earlier story showed the phenomenon of higher run-scoring trends in the 2023 CWC and that many previous records would be broken. In line with the prediction, the 2023 CWC has witnessed several batting records being broken and created.
Most Number of Runs in a Single World Cup including Highest Average per Match
In all the 48 matches played, a record total of 24,697 runs were scored with 13,895 runs scored by the teams batting first and 10,742 Runs scored by the teams batting second. This is the highest both in terms of total number of runs scored by first and second batting teams, jointly and independently. The previous best was in the 2015 CWC where a total of 23,531 were scored with teams batting first and second scoring 13,063 and 10,468 runs, respectively. Interestingly, the 2011 CWC which was held in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh has only witnessed a total of 21,933 runs scored with teams batting first and second scoring 11,977 and 9,356 runs, respectively.
This World Cup also happens to be the highest in terms of the average number of runs scored per match across different World Cups. The previous best was in the 2015 and 2019 CWCs which have witnessed an average of 480 and 466 runs per match, respectively. This average number of runs scored per match during 2023 CWC is 513 runs. Therefore, even in terms of the average number of runs scored per match, this CWC stands top.
Most 380-plus scores registered
The phenomenon of higher scoring  (over 300 runs) in the 50-over ODI world cups had begun in the 1987 CWC (4 edition) where West Indies had scored a mammoth total of 360 runs when Vivian Richards had scored famous 181 runs from 125 balls. This was the first time in the 50-over ODI CWC history where over 6 runs per over and over 300 runs were scored. Apart from this, the 1975 and 1983 CWCs had also witnessed scores of over 300 runs, but they were in the 60-over format and the run rate among all the matches which witnessed over 300 runs was below 6 runs per over.
The trend of higher scoring of over 300 runs increased from one World Cup to another from 1987 CWC. The recent 2015 and 2019 CWCs stand first and second in terms of the number of times over 300 runs were scored by a team with 28 and 27 times, respectively. The 2023 CWC stands next to these with over 300 runs being scored 23 times.
However, the peculiar record that the 2023 CWC holds is that it has witnessed 380+ scores on 9 occasions. This was not seen in any other previous CWCs held so far. Even the 2015 and 2019 CWCs have only witnessed scores of over 380 runs on 4 and 3 occasions respectively. The 2015 CWC and the present 2023 CWC hold the joint record of over 400 runs scored on 3 occasions.
India’s semi-finals score highest in the history of Knockouts in CWCs
In the previous 12 CWCs, there were only 3 occasions when scores of over 300 were registered in the knockout games viz: Quarterfinals, Semi-Finals, and Finals. Two of these were by Australia against India, during the Finals and Semi-finals of the 2003 and 2015 CWCs, respectively. The other was by India against Bangladesh during the 2015 CWC Quarter-Final. The highest total among these 3 matches was 359 runs scored by Australia against India in the 2003 CWC Final.
This record is now broken in the 2023 CWC when India scored 397 runs in the semi-final against New Zealand. Thus, the scores of over 300 in the knockout games of CWC are by India and Australia alone with two times each.
Highest Run Rate in CWC History
Our analysis in the previous story revealed the rising trend of overall run rates in the recent CWCs. The 2023 CWC saw a further increase in overall run rate across all teams, either batting first or second, at 5.43 runs per over. This is the highest of all the CWCs held so far, breaking the previous best of 5.3 runs per over in the 2019 CWC. The overall run rates of teams batting first and second during the 2023 CWC stood at 5.78 and 5.08 runs per over, respectively. While the overall run rate of teams batting first in the 2023 CWC stands as the highest, beating the previous joint best of 2019 and 2015 CWCs at 5.4 runs per over, the overall run rate of teams batting second is the second highest falling slightly short of 2019 CWC when it was 5.14 runs per over.
The unique thing with run rates is that in only the 1979 CWC, the overall run rate of teams batting second was more than that of the teams batting first. In all the remaining CWCs, the overall run rate of teams batting first was more than that of the teams batting second.
New Zealand stands on top in Batting Run Rates
Out of the 10 teams that have played in the 2023 CWC, only 3 teams have scored at an average of 6 runs per over viz; New Zealand, India, and Australia, whose overall run rates stood at 6.4, 6.37 and 6.02 runs per over, respectively. Thus, New Zealand stands top in overall run rates in this CWC. In addition, all these 3 teams have also broken their previous best run rates across CWCs.
Finally, a Double Century in the Second Innings
The history of ODI cricket has not witnessed a double century being scored in the second innings of a match, let alone in a CWC. However, the present CWC has witnessed the first-ever such feat during the 39 match between Australia and Afghanistan. In this match, the Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell played a historic innings and scored 201 runs of 128 balls and took his team from almost a losing position to victory.
2023 sees the Most Number of Sixes, Runs, and Centuries in a Single CWC
Apart from the above, the 2023 CWC has also witnessed several other batting records. Firstly, it has witnessed highest highest-ever CWC total of 428 runs scored by South Africa against Sri Lanka, breaking the previous best of 417 runs by Australia against Afghanistan in the 2015 CWC.
It has also witnessed the most number of runs scored by a single player in the single CWC. The previous best of 673 runs scored in the 2003 CWC by Sachin Tendulkar was overtaken by Virat Kohli with 765 runs in the 2023 CWC
Along with this, India’s Captain Rohit Sharma has also broken the record of hitting the greatest number of Sixes in a single World Cup. He hit 31 Sixes, breaking the previous best of 26 Sixes by West Indian Chris Gayle during the 2015 CWC. In addition, Rohit Sharma has also broken the record of leading six-hitter with 54 sixes across world cups, overtaking the previous record of 49 sixes held by Chris Gayle.
Further, this CWC has also witnessed the highest number of centuries scored in the single CWC. The previous best of 38 hundreds scored in the 2015 CWC is broken in the 2023 CWC with 40 hundreds.
Bowling Records
Data shows that the 2023 CWC witnessed certain peculiar records such as most number of 380+ scores, the highest overall total runs, and also the highest overall total in the knockout matches of CWC history, higher run rates, most runs by a single player, etc.
Apart from these several batting records, the 2023 CWC has also witnessed a few bowling records being broken.
Most Number of Wickets in a Single Knockout Match
The 2023 CWC has also seen a historic record of the most number of wickets in a single knockout match in a CWC. In the first ever 1975 CWC 1st semi-final, the Australian left-arm pacer Gary Gilmour took 6 wickets for 14 runs. This record was not broken until the 1 Semi-final match between India and New Zealand in the 2023 CWC. In this match, India’s Mohammad Shami created history by taking 7 wickets for 54 runs and thus breaking the 48-year CWC record held so far.
He also ended up as the highest wicket-taker in this CWC with 24 wickets. In the history of CWCs, Mohammad Shami stands 3rd among bowlers with the most wickets in a single World Cup. Australia’s pacers Mitchell Starc and Glenn McGrath stand 1 and 2 with 27 and 26 wickets, respectively.
Incidentally, this CWC had witnessed another Australian, Adam Zampa, becoming the leading wicket-taker among spin bowlers with the highest wickets in the CWC history. He took 23 wickets in the 2023 CWC, which also happens to be the 2 most number of wickets in this CWC.
First ever over 300 runs victory
The analysis of the previous story showed that the highest margin of runs in defeating the opposition was held by Australia in the 2015 CWC, where it defeated Afghanistan by 275 runs. This record was broken by Australia itself in the 2023 CWC when they defeated the Netherlands by 309 runs. Standing next to this is India’s victory against Sri Lanka by a margin of 302 runs. Thus, the 2023 CWC has witnessed a victory margin of over 300 runs for the first time not once but twice.
Lower Scores and Most Wins by over 100 runs margin
Factly’s analysis in the previous story has also shown that the 2015 CWC had 13 victories by over 100 runs. In the 2023 CWC, this record has been equalled with 13 wins by over 100 runs.
Along with it, in the 2023 CWC, scores of below 200 were registered 19 times, the 4 most across all the CWCs. The highest among the CWCs is the 2011 CWC held in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka when this happened 25 times. The 2007 and 2003 CWCs stand next to this with scores of below 200 being scored 24 and 23 times, respectively.
The 2023 data shows that apart from batting records, the 13 CWC has also witnessed several bowling records being broken and newly created. Thus, the 13th CWC ended up being a mix of both a batsmen’s as well as a bowlers’ tournament.
Featured Image Source: ICC

created: November 24, 2023


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Data: NCRB & Jal Shakti Ministry provide different numbers on Flood related fatalities
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 17, 2024
The Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India report (ADSI) of the NCRB provides data on accidental deaths attributable to the forces of nature like earthquakes, floods, lightning, and epidemics, to name a few.  Analysis indicates that the NCRB & Jal Shakti Ministry provide different numbers on Flood related fatalities.
The recent incidents of ‘Forest Fires’ ravaging several parts of Uttarakhand and claiming 5 lives have sparked a debate on the increasing number of natural disasters and fatalities, affecting both the environment and humans.  Against this backdrop, we look at the number of fatalities caused by various types of natural calamities or forces of nature.
Methodology and Notes
The NCRB classifies accident data into two broad groups – accidental deaths due to causes attributable to nature and unnatural accidental deaths. Accidental deaths attributable to the forces of nature are those due to earthquakes, floods, lightning, and epidemics, to name a few.  As per the 2022 report, over 4.3 lakh accidental deaths were reported, of which 8060 (1.8%) deaths were due to forces of nature.
On average, 43 people lost their lives per day due to forces of nature between 1990 and 2022
Between 1990 and 2022, more than 5.19 lakh deaths were recorded due to the forces of nature. On average, 43 persons lost their lives per day to the forces of nature. About 72% of the victims were males and 28% were females. Data on transgenders was included from 2014 only, and account for a minuscule share of victims.
There has been no specific trend in deaths due to forces of nature since 1990. This is because of the varying frequency and intensity of natural calamities. However, in the 20 years between 1996 and 2015, over 4.33 lakh deaths were recorded, out of the total 5.19 lakh deaths reported in 33 years. That is, nearly 82% of the deaths due to forces of nature between 1990 and 2022, took place between 1996 and 2015. On average, about 21,662 deaths due to forces of nature were recorded each year or 56 deaths were recorded a day in the period between 1996 and 2015.
Since 1993, the four-year average number of deaths due to forces of nature was the lowest in 2018-21
If the average number of deaths every four years during the 33-year period is considered, the number of deaths increased from 6079 in 1990-1993 to 11,514 in 1994-1997, and further up to 26,071 in 1998-2001. Following a drop in the 2002-2005 period to 18,257, the average number of deaths was above 23,000 in 2006-2009 and 2010-2013. Between 2014-2017, the average number of deaths dropped to 11,634 and further dropped to 7,391 in 2018-2021, the lowest average since 1993. Even if we take the latest four years data into consideration, the number of deaths were 8,145 in 2019, 7,405 in 2020, 7,126 in 2021, and 8,060 in 2022, with the average number of deaths being close to what was observed during 2018-2021.
The reason for a higher average between 1998-2001 is the devastating Bhuj Earthquake in Gujarat in 2001. In 2001, ADSI reported a total of 36,651 deaths due to forces of nature, the highest in the last 33 years. Likewise, a higher average in the period 2002 to 2005 can be attributed to the Tsunami in 2004 along the southeast coast of India.
Deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic have not been included in this report though endemics are considered one of the natural causes of death in the ADSI report. This has been mentioned explicitly in the ADSI reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Exact cause of Death remains unknown in bulk of the cases
The list of ‘natural calamities’ or ‘forces of nature’ considered in the NCRB report has become more extensive over the years. For instance, in the early 1990s, only lightning, heatstroke, floods, landslides, cold and exposure, and cyclones were listed. However, since 1995, deaths due to avalanches, earthquakes, epidemics, and torrential rains were included. Deaths in cyclones included deaths due to tornadoes as well for a few years. Since 2014, the report included deaths due to forest fires and due to Tsunami.
While there have been improvements in categorizing the causes of deaths resulting from natural disasters, the precise reasons behind many fatalities remain elusive. For instance, a significant portion of deaths was due to unknown causes labelled as ‘Others’ in the data. These deaths have totalled more than 70% of deaths reported in this category in the years 2011 to 2014. The ‘Others’ category consistently accounted for 70% or more of all the deaths, representing the highest proportion among recorded causes.
Although this percentage decreased to an average of 25-27% from 2015 to 2022, it still ranked as the second leading cause of death after lightning strikes. In other words, the exact causes of death remain unknown in most cases.
Sudden Dip in the Number of Deaths from 2015; Reasons remain unknown
The data shows that from 2005 to 2014, the annual death toll due to forces of nature consistently exceeded the 20,000 mark peaking at 25,153 in 2007. However, a sudden decline was observed from 2015 onwards, with figures reducing to 10,510 in 2015 and further to 8,684 in 2016. Subsequently, from 2017 to 2022, deaths hovered around 7,000 to 8,000 per year. The precise reason for this drastic drop from over 20,000 to below 10,000 deaths annually remains unexplained by the NCRB.
Moreover, this decline cannot be attributed to a decrease across causes except for the ‘Others’ category. In 2014, ‘Other’ causes accounted for 14,023 out of 20,200 total deaths. However, in 2015, this number dropped to 3,114 while total deaths halved to 10,510. Thus, from 2014 to 2015, deaths from unknown causes decreased from 14,023 to 3,114. During the same period,  the number of deaths due to Avalanche, Earthquake, Epidemic, Exposure to Cold, Flood, Forest Fire, Heat or Sun Stroke, Lightening and Torrential Rain have increased from 23 to 38, 2 to 92, 48 to 218, 913 to 1149, 541 to 846, 1248 to 1948, 2582 to 2641, and 156 to 195, respectively, the number deaths due to Cyclone, Landslide, Starvation or Thirst due to Natural Calamity, and Tornado have decreased from 62 to 15, 499 to 232, 50 to 30, and 42 to 13, respectively.
Thus, unlike the ‘Others’ category of these deaths, other causes do not show a significant decrease or increase. A similar trend is noted in the subsequent years from 2016 to 2022 where the total number of deaths was around 7,000 to 8,000, much lower compared to the 2014 figure. The bulk of this decrease is due to the decrease in the number of deaths in the unknown ‘Others’ cause, not due to known causes.
Between 1990 and 2022, Lightning claimed an average of 6 lives every day
If one looks at the cause-wise deaths data excluding the ‘Others’ category, lightning has claimed the greatest number of lives, accounting for about 14% of the total deaths due to forces of nature or 72,147 deaths in these 33 years. An average of 6 people lost their lives every day because of lightning.
The number of deaths due to floods, landslides, and exposure to cold together was 67,878 in the last 33 years, fewer than that claimed by lightning alone. Deaths due to heatstroke account for 5.6% of the deaths (29,106), floods account for 4.8% (25,123), exposure to cold accounted for 4.5% (23,439), and landslides account for 3.7% (19,316).
Deaths due to lightning on the rise
Over the years, the number of deaths due to lightning has increased while the deaths due to heat stroke increased substantially until 2019 and dropped in 2020 and 2021. In 2021, the lowest number of deaths due to heatwaves was recorded. Deaths due to cold and exposure rose until 2014 and have declined since then. The lowest number of deaths due to cold and exposure since 2004 was recorded in 2021. In the case of floods, the number of deaths crossed 900 each in 2019 and 2020 when severe floods were witnessed in Assam, Kerala, and other states. More than 100 deaths due to torrential rains were reported in the country since 1995 for which data is available. However, it has remained below 90 from 2019 to 2022.
Large discrepancies in the data by NCRB and by Jal Shakti Ministry and CWC with respect to deaths in floods
The data provided in the Home Ministry’s NCRB ADSI reports are based on the information received from the States/UT Police. On the other hand,  the Ministry of Jal Shakti also presents data on damages due to floods and heavy rains, including the number of human lives lost every calendar year.
According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s data, between 1990 and 2020, a total of 57,149 human lives have been lost in floods and heavy rains whereas the NCRB report stated that 23,920 lives were lost in floods during the same period. The Home Ministry’s data reported only about one-half of the deaths reported by the Jal Shakti Ministry. The annual number of deaths due to floods and severe rains by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, and that due to floods, as reported by the Home Ministry has been plotted in the following chart.
Including the deaths due to cyclones, tornadoes, and torrential rains, which are also causes of floods, the NCRB’s data reported a total of 37,659 deaths in the 25-year period from 1995 to 2020 while the Jal Shakti Ministry’s data reported a total of 47,632 deaths in this period. In other words, despite including all types of rains/flood-related deaths, the data does not match from both these sources.
Further, the NCRB’s figures are also lower than the figures published by Central Water Commission (CWC). During the period from 2016 to 2020, the number of deaths due to cyclones, tornadoes, torrential rains, and floods as per NCRB data are 4,676, while the same deaths as per the CWC data are 9,882. Therefore, even when compared to CWC figures, the NCRB figures fall short by more than half.
As observed Factly’s coverage of Heatwaves (read here and here), different government sources provide different statistics on fatalities due to rains and floods as well. While the discrepancy could be because of the different definitions of floods and deaths, differences in reporting, etc. among other things, such large discrepancies in numbers do not allow for any kind of policy planning.
Credible data is a prerequisite for decision-makers, researchers, and other stakeholders to help identify trends in deaths and frequency of disasters to plan appropriate interventions and mitigation strategies to minimize damage.
Severe social and economic losses are associated with natural calamities
Due to climate change, it is expected that the frequency of extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall leading to floods, severe heat waves, and cyclones is set to increase in the coming years. Apart from the loss of lives, severe social and economic consequences are associated with natural calamities. According to a report by The New Indian Express citing a special report to the United Nations General Assembly, more than 3.8 million (38 lakh) people were internally displaced in 2020 due to weather-related disasters in India while China accounted for more than 5 million and the United States more than 1.7 million new displacements due to weather-related disasters.
Featured Image: Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India report (ADSI)


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Nearly 20% of Foreign Students in India enrolled in B.Tech as of 2019-20
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 28, 2021
Data from the 2019-20 report of AISHE indicates that while the number of foreign students enrolled in India has considerably increased in the last 10 years, they still account for only 0.13% of the total enrolment. Close to 20% of all the foreign students enrolled in the B.Tech programme in 2019-20, up from just 4% in 2010-11.
Recently, the Ministry of Education released the annual All India Survey on Higher Education report for 2019-20 which provides key performance indicators on the current status of Higher education in India. The report is the 10 in the series of All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE). The first such report was released in 2010-11. Among other indicators pertaining to Higher Education in India, the report also presents a statistical profile of foreign students who come to India for their higher education. The data in the report is based on voluntary uploading of data by institutions of Higher Education listed in the aishe.gov.in portal in specially designed formats for data collection.
According to the report, a student is defined as ‘any person who has enrolled himself/ herself for pursuing any programme of a study conducted by the Institution’. A foreign student is a student enrolled in one of the institutions but is not a citizen of India. The number of students enrolled in a programme is the total number of students on the roll as of 30 September of the academic year.  That is, if a programme is for three years, the total number of students enrolled in the programme includes the sum of the number of students in the first, second, and third year of the programme, as of 30 September 2019 as per the 2019-20 report.
Number of foreign students in India has gone up by nearly 80% in the last 10 years
As per the latest AISHE report for 2019-20, a total of 49,348 foreign students were enrolled for higher education in India in the year 2019-20, the highest for the last 10 years. Two-thirds of them i.e., 32,836 students were male and the rest, 16,512 were female. Enrolment of foreign students has increased gradually over the decade indicating an increased preference of foreign students for pursuing higher education in India. The total enrolment has increased by nearly 80% in the last decade. In terms of gender, the number of male students increased by 89.5% whereas the number of female students has increased by 62% in the last 10 years. A closer look reveals that female students comprised around 37% of the total enrolled foreign students between 2010-11 and 2012-13 and dropped to less than 32% in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
Students from 15 countries account for more than 73% of foreign students in India
The number of countries the enrolled foreign students in India belong to has increased over the last 10 years. In 2010-11, there were students from 153 countries and in 2019-20, there were students from over 168 countries across the world. However, students from 15 countries alone constituted more than 73% of all the foreign students in India. These include Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sudan, US, Nigeria, Yemen, Malaysia, UAE, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Iran, Ethiopia, and Canada. There were only 122 students from China, the most populated country in the world and India’s neighbour.
Students from Nepal accounted for the highest share of foreign students in India, and this has been so in each of these 10 years. In fact, the share of Nepali students in India has only increased throughout the decade. In 2010-11, 14.5% of foreign students were from Nepal and in 2019-20, their share went up to 28%. In terms of numbers, the number of students from Nepal increased by about 3.5 times. Meanwhile, students from India’s neighbouring countries of Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and China who constituted 28% of all the foreign students enrolled in higher education in India in 2010-11, increased to 48% in 2019-20.
14 states accounted for 93% of the foreign students enrolled & Karnataka is the preferred state
93% of the foreign students were enrolled in institutions in 14 states. Each of these 14 states had more than 1,000 foreign students in 2019-20. For the first time, Odisha has reported more than 1,000 foreign students in 2019-20.
With at least 10,000 foreign students every year, Karnataka has always topped the list of Indian states with most foreign students by a large margin. In 2012-13, about 38% of the foreign students were enrolled in Karnataka. As per the latest report, almost 21% of the foreign students were enrolled in Karnataka. The state has the highest number of colleges per lakh eligible population (population in the age-group 18-23 years) in India with 59 colleges per lakh population as compared to All India average of 30.
It is also observed that the five southern states together accounted for 63% of the foreign students in India in 2010-11 which gradually dropped to 39% in 2019-20 as more foreign students started enrolling in institutions in the states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttarakhand. The number of foreign students in Punjab went up by 21 times in these 10 years. Likewise, the number went up nearly 18 times in Haryana, 15 times in Rajasthan, and 14 times in Odisha. Other states where there has been a substantial rise in the number of foreign students between 2010-11 and 2019-20 are Uttarakhand (5 times), UP (5 times), Gujarat (4 times), and West Bengal (2.6 times).
3 out 4 foreign students enrolled for Under-Graduate (UG) programmes
The different levels of programmes in which foreign students had enrolled in India are the following.
On average, each year, about 76% of the foreign students were enrolled in UG programmes. This is because of the higher intake in undergraduate programmes as compared to others. Throughout the decade, the proportion of foreign students enrolled in UG programs was between 72 to 78%. From less than 20,000 students in 2010-11, the number went up by 84% crossing 36,000 in 2019-20.  Postgraduate programmes had the second-highest enrolment of foreign students with 16.6% students in 2019-20 with 8,199 foreign students. This number has gone up by 50% since 2010-11.
Over the decade, it is seen that more foreign students were enrolling for PhD programmes and Diploma courses. Meanwhile, the enrolment of foreign students in M.Phil. and PG Diploma programmes dropped in line with the decrease in overall enrolment in these programmes.
B.Tech continues to be the most preferred programme for foreign students
According to the AISHE 2019-20 report, 16 programmes had more than 1,000 foreign students each and these 16 programmes together accounted for more than 80% of the foreign students. A total of 138 programmes had at least one foreign student enrolled in them.
In 2010-11, BA was the most sought-after course by foreign students with 9% foreign students enrolled in the program. However, since then, B.Tech has had the most number of foreign students among all programmes in each of the years.  In 2019-20, B.Tech accounted for more than 19% of all the foreign students in India. The B.Tech programme was chosen by less than 4% of the foreign students in 2010-11, whose share has increased nearly five-fold in 10 years. The demand for Bachelor of Engineering (BE) also increased marginally in the said period. The demand for B.Sc. and M.Sc. has been increasing for the last three years. In the past decade, the share of students enrolled in B.Com, B.C.A, B.A, M.A, B.Pharm, and B.Sc. (Nursing) has decreased.
Only about 0.13% of students in higher education in India are foreign students
While the number of foreign students enrolled in India has increased considerably in the last 10 years, they still account for a meager 0.13% of all the students enrolled for higher education in India in 2019-20. Their share has marginally increased from 0.1% in 2010-11 to 0.13% in 2019-20.
India has the second-largest education network in the world after China, with around 950 universities and 45,000 colleges.  Indian Higher Education system is known for its affordability, especially in the engineering and technology disciplines. The increasing number of foreign students in the country is an indication that more foreign students are preferring India. Despite these advantages, the share of foreign students has not increased considerably in the last ten years. Compared to the paltry numbers in India, foreign students comprise more than 5% of students in tertiary education in the US, 18% in the UK, 20% in New Zealand, and 14% in Canada.
‘Study in India’ programme to attract foreign students to study in India was launched in 2018
The government of India launched a flagship scheme, Study in India, in 2018, with the objective of increasing the flow of inbound foreign students to India and making India a preferred destination/hub for Higher Education by way of brand building, social media campaigns, etc. A centralised admission web portal (https://studyinindia.gov.in) which acts as a single-window for the admission of foreign students was set up. Under the programme, about 55,000 seats are being offered with more than 35,500 fee waivers and 2,000 scholarships, with each scholarship valued at INR 2,50,000. Institutes under the initiative offer waivers from 25% to 100% tuition fee waivers. Seats are reserved for foreign students even in premier institutes.
Efforts to attract foreign students must be ramped up
With globalization becoming the norm and travel between countries becoming easier, more students are crossing borders to pursue courses that help them establish a career in accordance with the global demand. Students going to other countries also get different exposure and opportunities. It helps broaden their intellectual and cultural horizons. In many cases, Students also seek education abroad in pursuit of better quality or due to the unavailability of courses in their own country. From any country’s perspective, foreign students bring socio-cultural influences in addition to making a considerable financial contribution in terms of tuition fees and other spending. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, international (foreign) students contributed USD 44 billion to the U.S. economy in 2019.
Besides making studying in India attractive with waivers and other initiatives, colleges providing international standards of higher education & offering courses with global demand need to be set up in every state. This will benefit both Indian students and foreign students and address the skewed distribution we have today. It will also ensure that foreign students are introduced to many parts of the country, and they can even become ambassadors for the growth of tourism. In addition, India must also focus on increasing the strength of female students from foreign countries by presenting India as a safe & secure destination.
Featured Image: Foreign Students in India


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Data: Net Market Loans of the Union Government crossed 10 lakh crore rupees for the first time in 2020-21
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 30, 2022
The pandemic forced all governments to increasingly rely on loans to meet expenditures. Increased debts of various states are a well-known fact. Data also indicates that the union government had to resort to increased borrowings to meet the expenditure. The Net Market Loans of the Union Government crossed 10 lakh crore rupees for the first time in 2020-21.
In our earlier analysis of the revenues of the State governments, we highlighted the fall in the revenue receipts of states due to the pandemic. Data indicates an increased reliance of the state governments on grants-in-aid and borrowings to meet the expenditure.  In an earlier analysis of the Centre’s revenue during the pandemic, we highlighted the fall in the tax revenue of the centre, especially the revenue through Direct taxes. Like the states, there is also concern about the union government’s reliance on borrowings to meet the budget expenditure. In this context, we look at the trends in receipts of the Centre over the years.
Actual Net Tax Revenue of Centre less than 90% of the Budget estimates since 2017-18
The actual tax revenues of the Centre during the COVID-19 affected year 2020-21, were made available in the budget presented for 2022-23.  As expected, there was a shortfall in the actual Net Tax revenue of the centre during 2020-21 compared to budget estimates.
The tax revenue of the Centre includes revenue through direct & indirect taxes such as Income Tax, Corporate tax, Wealth Tax, Customs, Excise duty, Service Tax, GST, etc. Net Tax Revenue (NTR) of the Centre is ascertained after deducting the State’s share of the taxes and the transfers made to NDRF. This revenue is at the centre’s disposal to meet its expenditure.
As per the information available in the budget documents, the actual NTR of the Centre for 2020-21 was Rs. 14.26 lakh crores. This is around 87% of the budget estimates (BE) for the year, which was Rs. 16.35 lakhs crores. While it falls short of the BE for the year, it is still more than the reduced Revised Estimates (RE) of Rs. 13.44 lakh crores. However, it must be noted that this lower actual tax revenue compared to the BE is not specific to the pandemic year. There is a shortfall in the actual tax revenue of the centre compared to the budget estimates for the past few years.
In 2017-18, the actual NTR was more than the BE for the year. But it showed early signs of the declining trend in the NTR of the centre. In the ensuing two years, the actual NTR was only about 88.96% and 82.26% of the BE for the respective years.
Net Tax Revenue to Budget expenditure ratio of 2020-21 is the least in 10 years
The share of NTR in the total budget expenditure of the government provides a better understanding of the ability of the government in meeting its overall expenditure, and the remaining quantum that has to be raised from other sources of non-tax receipts & loans.
The actual NTR of the centre in 2020-21 was Rs. 14.26 lakh crores which are higher than Rs.13.56 lakh crores in 2019-20. Despite a shortfall compared to the BE, the actuals as highlighted above were 87% of the BE, which is better than 82% in 2019-20.  However, these numbers do not show the actual impact of the pandemic.
The actual NTR in 2020-21 was only about 40 % of the Actual Budget Expenditure (ABE) for the year, forcing the centre to rely on other sources like non-tax revenues and more importantly borrowings to meet the expenditure.
However, this decline set in even before the pandemic. In 2017-18, NTR was around 58% of ABE for the year. This was an improvement over the previous years. Except for 2015-16, there has been a near-increasing trend since 2011-12. But post 2017-18, there is a sharp decline, which got worse during the pandemic. It also ought to be noted that there is an increase in the Actual Budget Expenditure of the Centre during 2020-21, compared to its earlier estimates, in view of the spending related to pandemic relief measures. The RE for 2021-22, and BE for 2022-23, show an improvement albeit still less than 50% of the total budget expenditure. However, it remains to be seen if the share of NTR in ABE improves in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
In 2020-21, more than half of Budget Expenditure is met through Debts
As data indicates, in 2020-21, apart from an increase in the actual expenditure incurred by the centre, the actual net tax revenues were lower than estimates.  The government had to depend on other sources to meet its expenditure. Non-tax revenue is one such source but makes up for a small share. Another major source of receipts from the government apart from the tax revenue is its capital receipts, especially Debt Receipts or loans.
The Debt receipts constitute – Market Loans, Short term borrowings, External loans, securities issued against small savings, State provident funds, etc. These are liabilities to the government, which it needs to repay in the future.  The actual debt receipts in 2020-21 amounted to Rs. 18.25 lakh crores, which is nearly twice the amount of 2019-20. Furthermore, the debt receipts of the government for the year were higher than the Net Tax revenue for the year.
This implies that the government met 52% of its expenditure through loans. While this is understandable in the wake of increased spending related to pandemic relief measures, an increasing trend has been observed in recent years.
In 2017-18, the proportion of debt receipts compared to the budget expenditure was 27.4%, which increased to 28.1% in 2018-19. In 2019-20, the centre’s reliance on debt receipts increased further to 34.8%. The increased reliance in recent years has reversed the improvement shown since 2011-12, where there has been a year-on-year fall in the share of debt receipts in total expenditure.
Apart from an increase in Market Loans, there is an increasing trend in reliance on Securities issued against Small Savings
Market Loans form the major source of debt receipts of the Centre. The exponential increase in the debt receipts to meet the expenditure as seen in 2020-21, can be attributed at large to the exponential increase in the market loans for the year.  The value of actual net market loans borrowed by the centre in 2020-21 was Rs. 10.33 lakh crores. It was the first time that the market loans crossed Rs.10 lakh crores in a year. For comparison, the net market loans of the centre were only Rs. 4.7 lakh crores in 2019-20.
This implies that nearly 30% of the budget expenditure incurred by centre was met through the market loans it raised. The numbers in the earlier years indicate no major fluctuations in the market loans borrowed by the centre. While the increase in market loans is understandable in wake of the pandemic, it ought to be noted that the budget estimates for market loans for 2022-23 are Rs. 11.18 lakh crores i.e., the centre plans to meet around 28% of its expenditure through market loans.
Apart from market loans, two other key sources of debt borrowed by the centre include its short-term borrowings and securities issued against small savings. The trends in the borrowings in the form of short-term borrowings are not uniform and vary from year-to-year. During 2019-20 and 2020-21, the centre has increased reliance on short-term borrowings. An emerging trend observed in recent years is the increased reliance on securities issued against Small Savings.
In 2017-18, the securities amounted to Rs. 1.03 lakh crores and increased to Rs.1.25 lakh crores in 2018-19. In 2019-20, the borrowings in securities against Small Savings nearly doubled to Rs. 2.4 lakh crores and it further doubled in 2020-21 to Rs.4.84 lakh crores. The revised estimates for 2021-22 peg them at Rs. 5.91 lakh crores and the budget estimates for 2022-23 is Rs. 4.25 lakh crores.
Increasing trend of Fiscal deficit aggravated by the pandemic
The available data indicates that there has been a major impact on the fiscal position during 2020-21. Apart from the lower Net Tax revenue compared to estimates, there is also an increase in the expenditure of the centre during that year. This was met by an exponential increase in the borrowings made by the centre. While the situation was aggravated during the pandemic, there was already an increasing trend of increased borrowings of the centre, a few years prior to 2020-21.  The lower net tax revenue estimates for 2021-22 and 2022-23 and higher debt estimates indicate that the situation is going to continue for a few more years.
Featured Image: Net Market Loans of Government of India


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NFHS-5 findings reveal increase in Anaemia prevalence in Children & Women across most states
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 16, 2021
The recently released NFHS-5 findings reveal that the prevalence of anaemia has increased among children, women of all age groups including pregnant women, and men. This increase in prevalence was observed in almost all the states barring a few exceptions. However, there are questions over the cutoffs and how these might be resulting in over-diagnosis.
Haemoglobin in the blood is necessary to carry oxygen to the tissues in the body. Anaemia is the condition in which the number of red blood cells or the concentration of haemoglobin within the blood cells is less than normal, which causes a decreased capacity of blood to carry oxygen in the body. As a result, the person experiences symptoms such as weakness, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, etc. The required optimal concentration of haemoglobin in the blood varies with age, sex, altitude, pregnancy, and smoking behaviour. The common causes of the condition are nutritional deficiency such as deficiency of iron, vitamin B12, vitamin A, & folates, infectious diseases including malaria, tuberculosis & HIV, acquired disorders, and parasitic infections.
Anaemia is a serious global public health problem
Globally, anaemia is considered a serious global public health problem that particularly affects young children and pregnant women. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age (aged 15−49 years) is calculated as the percentage of women in the said age group with a haemoglobin concentration less than 120 grams per Litre (g/L) or 12 grams per decilitre (g/dL) for non-pregnant and lactating women, and less than 110 g/L or 11 g/dL for pregnant women, adjusted for altitude and smoking. Similarly, the prevalence among children (aged 6 – 59 months) is calculated as percentage of children in the said age group with a haemoglobin concentration less than 110 g/L or 11 g/dL, adjusted for altitude. Prevalence of 40% and above is considered severe.
WHO estimated that the prevalence of anaemia worldwide in 2019 was 39.8% among children aged 6 to 59 months and 36.5% among pregnant women. 29.9% of the women of reproductive age were anaemic in 2019. According to WHO’s dashboard, it is seen that the prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age in India was 53% in 2019, the fifth-highest globally, after Yemen, Mali, Benin, and Nigeria. In the case of children (6 to 59 months), the prevalence in India was 53.4%.
NFHS Survey records prevalence of anaemia
The Union Health Ministry recently released the key findings of both the phases of the National Family Health Survey that was conducted between 2019 & 2021. This is the fifth edition of the NFHS covering 6.1 Lakh sample households across the country. The sample size for the survey varies from state to state because of the differences in population & age composition.  The representative survey also records the prevalence of anaemia among men, women, and children by collecting blood samples of all men (15 to 54 years of age) and women (15 to 49 years of age) who voluntarily give consent to the testing. For children (6 to 59 months), parents or their guardians will have to give consent.
The NFHS’s classification of anaemia is as follows:
Those who are diagnosed with severe anaemia during testing are referred to local health facilities for assessment and treatment.
The prevalence of anaemia among women and children has increased in the last five years
At the national level, the findings of the NFHS-5 reveal that there has been an increase in the prevalence of anaemia among women and children compared to the previous NFHS-4 survey that was conducted in 2015-16, about 4 years ago. The increase in anaemia among pregnant women is by 1.8 percentage points, among all women in the reproductive age is 3.9 percentage points, and among adolescent women by 5 percentage points. Among children, the increase is the highest of 8.5 percentage points and is now closer to the levels recorded in NFHS-3 from 2005-06 when the prevalence was 70%.
8 out of 10 children in Gujarat are anaemic
Among children aged 6 to 59 months, anaemia is the most prevalent in Gujarat among the larger states with nearly 80% of the children in the age group diagnosed with anaemia. The prevalence in Gujarat increased by 17.1 percentage points compared to 62.6% recorded in NFHS-4.
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Telangana are the major large states with a prevalence of more than 70% among children. Kerala is the only state to have recorded a prevalence of less than 40% (39.4%), though it has registered an increase of 3.7 percentage points compared to NFHS-4. The prevalence in four south Indian states except for Telangana and 6 north-eastern states except Assam is below the national average as per NFHS-5.
The increase in the prevalence of anaemia is the greatest for Assam where the prevalence has gone up from 35.7% in NFHS-4 to 68.4% in NFHS-5, an increase of 32.7 percentage points. Mizoram and Chhattisgarh both have also recorded an increase of more than 25 percentage points each.
Only 4 states recorded a reduction in prevalence, though small in magnitude. These are Uttarakhand (by 1 percentage point), Haryana (1.3), Jharkhand (2.4), and Meghalaya (2.9).
West Bengal and Gujarat had the highest prevalence of anaemia among adolescent girls
Almost 97% of the adolescent women in Ladakh in the 15 to 19 age group were found to be anaemic, an increase from 81.6% during NFHS-4. Among large states, the prevalence was the highest in West Bengal with 70.8%, up from 62.2% during NFHS-4, followed by Gujarat with 69%.
Mizoram (34.9%), Nagaland (33.9%), Kerala (32.5%), and Manipur (27.9%) recorded a prevalence of less than 40%.
Assam with a prevalence of 67% saw an increase of 24.3 percentage points from 42.7% recorded during NFHS-4 while the states of Haryana, UP, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Delhi, Kerala, and Uttarakhand saw a decline in prevalence.
More than 60% of pregnant women were anaemic in Bihar, Gujarat, West Bengal, Odisha, and Tripura
The prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women was the highest in Bihar among large states with 63.1%, followed by Gujarat and West Bengal with more than 62% each. Odisha and Tripura too recorded a prevalence of more than 60%.
On the other side, Mizoram (34%), Manipur (32.4%), Kerala (31.4%), Arunachal Pradesh (27.9%), and Nagaland (22.2%) recorded less than 40% prevalence.
Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, MP, Delhi, Maharashtra, UP, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland have recorded a drop in prevalence as per NFHS-5 compared to NFHS-4 while Sikkim, Odisha, and Gujarat have recorded an increase in prevalence by more than 10 percentage points each.
AP, Telangana, TN, UP, and Delhi have witnessed reduction in prevalence among all women
The prevalence of anaemia among all women in the reproductive age (15 to 49 years) reveals that West Bengal had the highest prevalence of 71.4%. Assam, Jharkhand, and Gujarat have a prevalence of 65% and above. Meanwhile, just like in the case of adolescent women, Kerala (36.3%) and the north-eastern states of Mizoram (34.8%), Manipur (29.4%), and Nagaland (28.9%) had a prevalence of less than 40%.
In terms of change in prevalence compared to NFHS-4, Assam witnessed an increase by 19.9 percentage points while Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, UP, Haryana, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, and Delhi have recorded a drop in prevalence.
Anaemia Mukt Bharat was launched by GoI in 2018
On the whole, findings of NFHS-5 reveal that the states of Gujarat, Assam, and West Bengal witnessed a significant increase in prevalence in anaemia among children and women respectively, compared to NFHS-4. Though Kerala and some north-eastern states have recorded a low prevalence across categories, these states have also witnessed an increase in prevalence since NFHS-4.
At the same time, in the states of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and Haryana, there has been a decline in prevalence or only a marginal increase in prevalence in certain categories. In Jharkhand, the Health Department of the state rolled out an action plan covering pregnant women, lactating women, infants and children in order to tackle anaemia in the state. The plan was taken up prioritizing the Centre’s Anaemia Mukt Bharath program that was launched in 2018 under National Health Mission as part of Intensified National Iron Plus Initiative (NIPI) Program. The action plan aimed to provide micronutrient drugs like IFA, Calcium, Vitamin A and Albendazole, to the last mile.
Likewise, Haryana launched the Anaemia Mukt Haryana program under state scheme ‘Atal Abhiyaan’ (Assuring total Anaemia Limit Abhiyaan) to reduce anaemia in all age group across Haryana, in line with the Centre’s Anaemia Mukt Bharat program in 2019.
More comprehensive data on epidemiology of anaemia will help in addressing the problem
To accelerate anaemia reduction, measures such as awareness, improved dietary choices and nutrition, education, and IFA supplementation during pregnancy and lactation are required. However, though the most common cause of anaemia is iron deficiency, there are other causes which require diagnosis and health interventions. For this, it is important that there is data on the epidemiology of the condition, which would help in understanding the burden of the condition and ensure that necessary health interventions are made.
Questions remain over the cutoffs & resultant over-diagnosis
As reported in ‘The Hindu’, a group of a team of researchers multiple institutions across India said it is possible that anaemia is being over-diagnosed in India due to a wrong (higher than appropriate) haemoglobin diagnostic cut-off. They argued for a re-examination of WHO haemoglobin cut-offs to define anaemia, in their recent paper published in the Lancet. They also highlighted the difference in sampling methods between the NFHS and the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) 2016-18. For instance, the CNNS reported significantly lower figures of anaemia prevalence among children.
Featured Image: Increase in Anaemia

created: December 16, 2021


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Data: NFHS-5 Results Indicate a Slight Reduction in Average OOPE Per Delivery in a Public Health Facility
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 1, 2023
Data from the National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) indicates that the Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) per delivery in a public health facility at all-India level reduced slightly from Rs. 3,197 during NFHS-4 to Rs. 2,916 during NFHS-5. However, wide variations exist in various states & districts.
The National Family Health Surveys (NFHS), conducted under the supervision of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, have assumed a pivotal role in furnishing the Government of India and associated stakeholders with reliable information for overseeing the advancement of several flagship health initiatives, and in realizing the objectives outlined in the National Health Policy. Over the course of time, the NFHS has broadened its purview and reach to address the existing gaps in relevant data not only for government bodies but also for external researchers.
The insights garnered from NFHS have consistently furnished valuable indicators for evaluating the efficacy of various services extended by the Government, with a special focus on Maternal and Child Health (MCH). This, in turn, provides essential metrics to enhance these programs and highlight areas that require other strategies and interventions.
In this first part on NFHS data stories, the primary focus will be on Maternal Health.
Out of Pocket expenditure per delivery in a public health facility
Maternal health is an important indicator of overall women’s health. The process of achieving safe motherhood can push households into poverty. Approximately 47% of mothers are pushed into poverty as per a study done by researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. While maternal healthcare services are intended to be provided free of charge in public health facilities, the process of giving birth in these establishments frequently results in a range of direct medical and indirect non-medical expenses for individuals.
Hence, reducing out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) and increasing institutional births have become one of the crucial areas of action for governments. The Government of India enacted Janani Suraksha Scheme in 2005 which provides cash assistance to institutional births. The Out-of-pocket expenditure per delivery in a public health facility at the all-India level stood at Rs. 3,197 during NFHS-4 and Rs. 2,916 during NFHS-5.
Compared to NFHS-4, many districts have exceeded the Indian average OOPE in NFHS-5. Even states that have well-developed public health systems, particularly southern states like Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu had higher OOPE than the national average.
3 out of 5 top districts that saw decline in OOPE are from West Bengal.
The district-level analysis of OOPE per delivery reveals that Murshidabad district in West Bengal tops the OOPE in India at Rs. 31,457 followed by Jalna in Maharashtra with Rs. 24,453 and Kolkata at Rs. 22,187 during NFHS-4. During NFHS-5, the OOPE for these districts fell to Rs. 2,662, Rs. 4,178 and Rs. 1,969 respectively.
Except for North-Eastern states, Haveri district in Karnataka saw the highest rise, followed by Lakhi Sarai in Bihar, and Bellary in Karnataka. They recorded an increase from Rs. 2,886, Rs. 1084, and Rs. 4,413 during NFHS-4 to Rs. 11,573, Rs. 9,523, and Rs. 12,348 respectively in NFHS-5.
Mildly negative correlation between OOPE and institutional births
Out-of-pocket expenditure per delivery can be majorly from two possible ways- institutionalization of delivery, and type of delivery. Deliveries that occur within healthcare facilities, known as institutional births, have a significant impact on decreasing maternal and neonatal mortality rates. Promoting the idea of all births happening in such institutional settings is a key approach to lowering maternal mortality. Nonetheless, it’s essential to acknowledge that institutional births also involve associated expenses. From transportation to laboratory services to medicines, institutional deliveries have a cost element attached to them. While the above should be free in a public health facility, owing to the lack of availability/non-functionality, many women spend money to get them from private service providers. To make matters even worse, for a public health facility, another element adds up – “tips/bribes to get services” in addition to these. As a result, institutional births at public facilities often tend to inflate the ‘Out-of-Pocket’ expenditures.
The percentage of Institutional births at public health facilities at the all-India level grew from 52.1% to 61.9% between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5.  At the same time, the average out-of-pocket expenditure per delivery at public health facilities declined from Rs. 3,197 during NFHS-4 to Rs. 2,916 during NFHS-5. There exists a negative correlation between these variables as can be seen from the below graph, however, it is very negligible.
Southern states have higher percentage of deliveries by caesarean section.
A Caesarean delivery, commonly known as a C-section, involves surgically delivering a baby through an incision made in the mother’s abdomen and uterus. Higher rates of C-section deliveries have been linked to greater out-of-pocket expenditures (OOPE), which, in turn, are contributing to financial hardships. Literacy levels, wealth, and the rise in institutional births are some of the reasons behind the growing C-section deliveries.
It is observed that, at an all-India level, the percentage of births in a public health facility that was delivered by caesarean section was 11.9% in NFHS-4, which rose to 14.3% during NFHS-5. District-level analysis reveals that almost all districts in southern states have greater C-section births than the national average. The socioeconomic skewness of C-sections in India towards urban and better-off population, with an overwhelming concentration in South India.
If we look at the distribution of OOPE and C-section births, it can majorly be observed that the greater the percentage of C-section births is, the greater is the OOPE.
Kottayam and Jalandhar saw highest rise in deliveries by caesarean section.
A further drill down on districts shows that districts such as Kottayam and Jalandhar saw the greatest rise in deliveries in public health facilities by caesarean section, followed by Patiala, Thiruvarur, and Tirunelveli. Almost all these districts have one out of every two deliveries by C-section from earlier one out of every five deliveries. All these districts rose by more than 20% in NFHS-5 as compared to NFHS-4.
Further, districts such as Mahe, Nellore, Idukki, Kollam saw a greater reduction in deliveries by C-section, with almost all districts witnessing a decline by more than 15%.
Featured Image: NFHS-5 Results

created: September 1, 2023


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Data: NFHS-5 reveals the growing risk of Lifestyle diseases in India
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 16, 2020
The Phase-1 findings of the 5th edition of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) were recently released. For the first time, the survey captured data on the proportion of the adult population suffering from lifestyle-induced diseases like Diabetes & Hypertension. The data reveals the growing risk of such diseases in India. Here is a detailed review.
The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare recently released key findings of  Phase-1 of the National Family and Health Survey 2019-20 (NFHS-5). This is the fifth edition of the survey. Phase-1 includes fact sheets for 17 states and 5 union territories. Phase-II which constitutes the rest of the States/UTs is delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The survey provides estimates for 131 key indicators across various categories of Population & Household profile, Marriage & Fertility, Maternal & Child Health, Nutrition, Women Empowerment, etc. While most of the indicators remained the same from NFHS-4 to facilitate comparison, there are also new indicators that were introduced in NFHS-5.  Among the new indicators that were introduced in this survey are ‘Blood Sugar Levels among Adults’ and ‘Hypertension among adults’. Persons of age 15 years or above are surveyed for this purpose.
In this story, we take a look at the key findings for these indicators which are a reflection of the lifestyle and health of the population. It ought to be noted that NFHS is a sample survey and the sample size varies across the states. The sample size for each of the states is provided in the fact sheets of the respective states.
These estimates are based on the Clinical, Anthropometric & Biochemical testing (CAB) conducted on the participants of the survey.
Higher proportion of Men are diabetic with Kerala, Goa & AP leading
Among the 22 States/UTs, around 16.8% of the male adult population and 14.6% of the female adult population on average are estimated to be diabetic. The measure includes the summation of the population that satisfies any of the below three criteria:
The estimate provided in the report is the summation of the population that satisfies any of the below three criteria.
The results indicate the following:
The trends among the States are similar to the “India: Health of Nation’s States” report of 2017, which is a joint effort by ICMR, PHFI (Public Health Foundation of India) & the Institute of Health Metrics & Evaluation (IHME). This report was referred to in the RBI’s assessment on the Impact of COVID-19.
As per that report,  Kerala, Andhra Pradesh & West Bengal are among the states with a higher proportion of the diabetic population. Other states like Tamil Nadu & Punjab which have a higher proportion of the population suffering from Diabetes are part of Phase-II of NFHS-5.
It ought to be noted that the comparison of these two reports is only indicative of the trends among the states which are outliers, and the numbers cannot be compared as the criteria for the survey and the report varies.
Even in the case of Hypertension, Kerala & AP are on the top
Among the 22 States & UTs, around a quarter of the male population on average is estimated to be having elevated blood pressure or taking medication to control it. Comparatively, 22.5 % of the women population have a challenge with Hypertension.
The NFHS-5 survey has recorded this data based on three criteria:
The estimated percentage of the population affected by Hypertension fall under any of the above categories.
The trends among the states are in line with the trends indicated in RBI’s assessment of COVID-19, which has based its numbers on the “India: Health of Nation’s States” report. Kerala, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana are among the states which have a higher incidence of Cardio-vascular diseases, meanwhile, Bihar has the least incidence of such number.
The trends among the States correlate with COVID-19 numbers
As per the information provided by WHO, people suffering from medical problems like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory diseases, etc. have a higher chance of contracting COVID-19 infection and are likely to develop a serious illness.
As per the available data furnished by MOHFW, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu & Kerala are the top 5 states with the highest number of recorded COVID-19 cases.
Among these 5 states, three states are part of NFHS-5 phase -1. We had observed that as per the survey estimates, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh are among the states which have a higher proportion of the population suffering from life-style ailments like Diabetes and Hypertension which could act as co-morbidities for COVID-19. West Bengal & Telangana also feature among the states with a higher proportion of the population suffering from Higher levels of Blood sugar and Hypertension. Even these states among the ones which have recorded a higher number of COVID-19 cases.
Further confirming the association of these ailments and COVID-19 is the case of Bihar, which has proportionately fewer COVID-19 cases when one takes into consideration the population of the state and the relatively poor healthcare infrastructure. The reason could be the lower proportion of the population suffering from ailments like diabetes and hypertension.
Including information on lifestyle diseases in NFHS is a good initiative, especially to understand the potential health risks of the population which could further be compounded in the case of a pandemic like COVID-19. Such data also helps the governments plan their response accordingly.
Apart from including these indicators in NFHS-5, the government has begun taking steps to identify the health risks associated with behaviour & lifestyle changes. The initiative in the form of NPCDCS (National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke) is in place since 2010.
As per news reports, the Centre has asked the states to use the data generated under NPCDCS to identify the priority group who would be receiving COVID-19 vaccination as part of the initial vaccination drive, which includes people suffering from co-morbidities.
As per a response provided in Rajya Sabha in February 2019, a total of 1.3 crore population were screened for Hypertension and 97.7 lakhs for Diabetes under NPCDCS.
Featured Image: Lifestyle diseases in India

created: December 16, 2020


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Data: NITI Aayog publishes a list of 81 All India Surveys, 70% of which are conducted by Government agencies
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 23, 2021
The NITI Aayog recently published an Inventory of All India Surveys, compiled by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO). The list consists of 81 surveys, 57 of which are conducted by Government agencies. Here is a detailed analysis of these surveys.
The NITI Aayog recently in September 2021, published an Inventory of All-India Surveys, compiled by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) of the NITI Aayog. We analyse these surveys across multiple parameters in this story.
NITI Aayog is a public policy think tank of the Government of India, also known as the National Institution for Transforming India. It was formed via a resolution of the Union Cabinet on 01 January 2015, replacing the erstwhile Planning Commission, which had been instituted in 1950.
The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) on the other hand was constituted in September 2015 by merging the erstwhile Program Evaluation Office (PEO) and the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO). It is an attached office under NITI Aayog, aimed at fulfilling the organisation’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mandate and building the M&E ecosystem in India.
The DMEO has compiled this inventory of all India Surveys with an aim to assist development practitioners to undertake research/analysis based on existing secondary data collected by various agencies.
The Majority of All-India surveys are open access and sample surveys.
The compilation of All-India Surveys published by the DMEO lists down a total of 81 surveys from 1951 onwards for various sectors.
The Inventory shows that about 71 surveys are open access, which means that the surveys data and reports are in the public domain.
Only 6 surveys are unavailable, such as Manual Scavengers Survey, Citizens Survey of Police Services, World Justice Project Rule of Law Index Expert Survey, and others. The metadata or the full report for these surveys is not available in the public domain, however, limited information/brief can be assessed on the link mentioned in the Inventory.
About 4 surveys have paid access, namely Aspirational India Survey of Households, Consumer Pyramids Household Survey, Consumer Pyramids Household survey and People of India survey.
In terms of data, about 75 surveys out of 81 are sample surveys. Only 4 are census surveys, namely All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), Ease of Living Survey, Economic Census, and Handloom Census of India. Only 1 survey is classified as both a census and sample i.e., Annual Survey of Industries.
Inventory of All-India surveys covers 40+ sectors, 1951 onwards.
These All-India surveys span across 42 sectors or themes, from agriculture and health to global competitiveness, 1951 onwards.
The sectors of Health and Labour & Employment have the highest number of All-India surveys i.e., 6 surveys in each sector.  Sectors such as Consumer Behaviour and Socio-economic have the 5 All-India surveys each.
This is followed by sectors of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and Demographic with 4 All-India surveys each. Banking and Perception have 3 All-India Surveys. Most sectors have 1 or 2 All-India surveys each.
10 All-India surveys conducted annually, 27 periodically, and 32 have an undefined frequency
The Inventory contains surveys with varying frequencies.
Most of the surveys in the list have undefined frequencies or have been conducted only once so far. In other words, about 32 surveys do not have a defined frequency. For example, the Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey has only been conducted once in 2015. Similarly, Digital Payments Adoption in India was conducted for the first time in 2020. India Banking Fraud Survey has been conducted over 6 years from 2014-2021 (a cross-sectional study).
About 27 All-India surveys are conducted periodically at irregular intervals. For example, Global Youth Tobacco Survey was conducted in 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2019. Similarly, Household Social Consumption: Education survey has been conducted in 1980-81, 1986-87, 1995-96, 2007-08, 2014 and 2017-18.
In total, about 10 surveys are conducted annually, such as India Media and Entertainment Report, Survey on International Trade in Banking Services, Executive Opinion Survey, Periodic Labour Force Survey, etc.
Only 1 survey is conducted biennially and triennially, respectively. A small number of surveys are conducted at higher frequencies. Like, about 2 are conducted bi-annually, 3 surveys are conducted quarterly, and 1 is conducted bi-monthly.
Government Agencies conduct most All-India surveys; International, corporate & research organisations conduct 24 surveys
The Inventory encompasses surveys conducted by Government of India agencies, as well as other national and international organisations.
The highest number of surveys in the inventory are conducted by Government of India ministries and departments.
International organisations like United Nations and World Bank organisations conducted a total of 11 All-India surveys. For example, The Enterprise Survey, UN E-Government Survey, The Open Budget Survey, World Values Survey, etc.
Corporate organisations like Deloitte and KPMG conduct 7 All-India surveys, followed by think tanks and civil society organisations (like Janaagraha) who conduct 6 All-India surveys. For example, India’s COVID-19 HR Practices Survey by KMPG, National Rural Sanitation Survey by IPE Global and Kantar, Voice of India’s Citizens Survey by Janaagraha, etc.
Featured Image: All India Surveys

created: October 23, 2021