Average household spending on food falls to less than half since 1947: EAC-PM paper
New Delhi: India's average household spending on food has fallen to less than half of the total monthly expenses for the first time since 1947, according to a recent working paper by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
The paper titled 'Changes in India's Food Consumption and Policy Implications: A Comprehensive Analysis of Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022-23 and 2011-12 further said significant changes are unfolding in India's food consumption pattern.
According to the paper, the share of total household expenditure on food has declined substantially in rural and urban areas across all states and UTs.
"It is the first time in modern India (post-independence) that average household spending on food is less than half the overall monthly spending of households and is a marker of significant progress," it said.
The paper is a comprehensive analysis of the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2022–23 and comparison with 2011–12.
"Overall, there has been a significant increase in households' average monthly per capita expenditure across rural and urban India across all states and UTs," the paper said, adding that the magnitude of the rise is substantial but varies across states and regions.
For example, the paper said among rural areas, West Bengal has seen a consumption expenditure growth of 151 per cent in the period between 2011-12 and 2022-23, while Tamil Nadu witnessed a growth of approximately 214 per cent.
Sikkim witnessed a consumption expenditure growth of a massive 394 per cent.
"Overall, we find that growth for rural households was higher than for urban households, 164 per cent for rural households versus 146 per cent for urban households," it said.
According to the paper, within food items, the share of expenditure on cereal has declined significantly across rural and urban areas.
However, it pointed out that this decline was more substantial for the bottom 20 per cent of the households in rural and urban areas.
"In all likelihood, this reflects the effectiveness of the government's food security policies, which provide free foodgrains to large numbers of beneficiaries across all states of the country, with a particular focus on the vulnerable bottom 20 per cent of households," the report noted.
The paper suggested that agriculture policies will have to be tailored beyond cereals, whose consumption is declining across all wealth classes of society.
At the same time, support policies like MSP, which overwhelmingly targets cereal procurement, will have a limited impact on the welfare of farmers.
Across regions and consumption classes, the paper observed a significant increase in the share of household expenditure on served and packaged processed food.
"This increase was universal across the classes but more pronounced for the country's top 20 per cent of households and significantly more in urban areas," it said.
While food processing is a growth sector and a significant creator of jobs, the report noted that this rising consumption of processed and packaged food will also likely affect health outcomes.
It also opined that further research is needed to understand the nutritional implications of the growing consumption of packaged processed foods.
"Policies may be required to regulate the nutritional content of these foods and promote healthier alternatives," the report said.
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Kerala polls: ‘People rejected 10 years of misrule’, says AICC gen secy
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Monday said the Congress-led UDF’s sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly polls was a clear verdict against the “arrogance”, corruption, and nepotism of the CPI(M)-led LDF government headed by CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Addressing a press conference as counting of votes for all 140 Assembly constituencies neared completion, Venugopal said the outcome reflected public anger against what he termed “10 years of misrule” by the Left government.
He claimed that Vijayan’s victory in his home constituency, Dharmadam, was “only technical”, alleging that the CM trailed the UDF candidate in the initial rounds of counting and failed to secure a majority in his own village.
“He just escaped. He suffered a setback even in his home turf. He was the only person who did not realise the people’s mood in this election,” Venugopal said.
Alleging that the CPI(M) and the LDF had resorted to “communal and opportunistic politics”, he further claimed that the ruling front had entered into a “secret understanding” with the BJP in a bid to retain power for a third consecutive term.
He said that when a government driven by power and arrogance attempts to align with anyone to stay in office, even its own cadre turns against it.
Referring to the results, Venugopal said that while the UDF expected rebel CPI(M) leaders, including K Kunhikrishnan in Payyannur, to impact the vote share, their victories came as a surprise.
Describing the UDF’s performance as a “historic victory”, he attributed it to coordinated teamwork, grassroots mobilisation, and the dedication of party workers, adding that the alliance accepted the mandate “with humility”.
Venugopal also credited Rahul Gandhi’s campaign guarantees, calling them a “trump card” that helped voters focus on real issues and reject what he described as the LDF’s “false narratives”.
He claimed that the Congress witnessed one of its lowest levels of rebellion in this election, which contributed to the alliance’s strong performance.
The senior Congress leader further alleged that the BJP managed to win two seats with the help of the CPI(M), and asserted that forces attempting to divide society on communal lines should “learn a lesson” from Kerala’s verdict.
“This is the real Kerala story,” he said.
On the question of the next Chief Minister, Venugopal said the party leadership would decide at the earliest after due consultations.
The counting of votes began on Monday morning for all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive majority, defeating the CPI(M)-led LDF, which was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) posts, "Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate. Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign. As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential… pic.twitter.com/6T4IZbEmp4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 4, 2026
