Govt won't release consumer expenditure survey due to 'data quality issues'

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Friday (November 15) said that it would not release the Consumer Expenditure Survey results of 2017-18 because of ‘data quality issues’.

“In view of the data quality issues, the Ministry has decided not to release the Consumer Expenditure Survey results of 2017-2018. The Ministry is separately examining the feasibility of conducting the next Consumer Expenditure Survey in 2020-2021 and 2021-22 after incorporating all data quality refinements in the survey process,” the Ministry said in a statement.

Based on a media report which stated that the consumer spending is falling and the survey has been withheld due to its adverse findings. Responding to this “We would like to emphatically state that there is a rigorous procedure for vetting of data and reports which are produced through surveys. All such submissions which come to the Ministry are draft in nature and cannot be deemed to be the final report,” the ministry said.

The NSS Consumer Expenditure Survey generates estimates of household monthly per capita consumer expenditure (MPCE) and the distribution of households and persons over the MPCE classes.

The National Statistical Office of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation carried out an all-India survey on household consumption expenditure in the 75th round during the period July 2017 to June 2018.

(With inputs from agencies)