The Economic Survey 2019-20 tabled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on Friday has taken special efforts to speak in the language of the common man. The chapter on what Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian calls 'Thalinomics' is a case in point.
The economic survey dedicates a whole chapter to 'Thalinomics', in an attempt to explain that 'thalis' or wholesome meals have become more affordable to the common man over a 13-year period across India. The chapter, 'Thalinomics—The Economics of a Plate of Food in India', says that thalis, vis-à-vis, a day’s pay of a worker has improved over time, indicating improved welfare of the common person.
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It further stated that affordability of vegetarian 'thalis' improved by 29 per cent while that of non-vegetarian by 18 per cent during the 2006-07 and 2019-20 period. "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. As a result, 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 survey states. The report analysed data from the Consumer Price Index for industrial workers for around 80 centres in 25 states/Union Territories from April 2006 to October 2019 to arrive at the cost of a 'thali'.
As per the survey, a vegetarian thali comprises a serving of cereals, 'sabzi and dal' and the non-vegetarian thali comprises of cereals, sabzi and a non-vegetarian component.
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The survey claimed that 2015-16 could be considered as a year when there was a shift in dynamics of thali prices.
Many reform measures were introduced since 2014-15 to enhance the productivity of the agriculture sector as well as efficiency and effectiveness of agricultural markets for better and more transparent price discovery," the survey said.
