Households saved Rs 11K per year due to increasing affordability of thalis: Survey

Eco Survey finds that cost of vegetarian thali reduced significantly since 2015-16 though the price rose in 2019.

Till about a few weeks ago, the air waves and newspaper space were dedicated to the sky-high prices of vegetables like onions and potatoes. However, the Economic Survey 2019-20 released today, stated that affordability of vegetarian thalis improved 29 per cent from 2006-07 to 2019-20 and that of non-vegetarian thalis by 18 per cent.

The survey noted that an average household of five individuals, that eats two vegetarian thalis a day, gained around Rs 10,887, on average per year, while a non-vegetarian household gained Rs 11,787, on average per year.

The reason for fall in prices
What was the reason for the fall in thali prices? According to the Survey, "across India and also the 4 regions- North, South, East and West- it is found that the absolute prices of a vegetarian Thali have decreased significantly since 2015-16 though the price has increased in 2019. This is owing to the sharp downward trend in the prices of vegetables and dal in contrast to the previous trend of increasing prices. "

Methodology of Thalinomics
The conclusion has been drawn on the basis of “Thalinomics: the Economics of a plate of food in India” – an attempt to quantify what a common person pays for a Thali across India, the Survey stated. Using the dietary guidelines for Indians, the price of Thalis are constructed. Price data from the Consumer Price Index for industrial workers for around 80 centers in 25 states and union territories from April 2006 to October 2019 were used .

The Survey states that 2015-16 can be "considered as a year when there was a shift in the dynamics of Thali prices. Many reform measures were introduced since 2014-15 to enhance the productivity of the agricultural sector as well as efficiency and effectiveness of agricultural markets for better and more transparent price discovery."

In Video: Economic Survey 2020 introduces 'Thalinomics': Here is what common Indian pays for a plate of food