The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Workers spending more on non-food items

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Workers spending more on non-food items

Special Correspondent

Average monthly expenditure per family is Rs. 4,951
About 29 per cent of families living in chawl-bastis

Bangalore: The all India working class family income and expenditure survey 1999-2000 general report of the Labour Bureau in the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment was released here by Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes on Friday.

The Bureau compiles the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPIIW) and the earlier series was based on 1982=100, which has been updated to base 2001=100 on the basis of the results obtained from the working class family income and expenditure survey 1999-2000. The survey covered workers in seven organised sectors such as factories, mines, plantations, ports and docks, public motor transport undertakings, electricity generating and distributing establishments and railways in the country. It contained information on consumption expenditure along with demographic and socio-economic conditions of industrial workers.

The Minister pointed out that in nominal terms the average monthly income per family and per capita were Rs. 6,466 and Rs.1,448, respectively in 1999-2000. However, when benchmarked against 1982 price levels, they amounted to Rs. 1,486 and Rs. 333 in 1999-2000.

Mr. Fernandes said that the average monthly expenditure per family was Rs. 4,951. The average expenditure per family at constant prices of 1982, however, worked out to be Rs. 1,138 and Rs. 778 in 1981-82. The consumption expenditure and non-consumption expenditure were Rs. 4,470 and Rs. 481, respectively.

However, there was improvement in the percentage expenditure on major non-food items such as fuel and light (from 6 to 6.72), housing (9.84 to 16.01), medical care (2.54 to 4.54), education (3.15 to 6.19) and personal care (3.18 to 4.84), while it declined to 4.99 from 10 during the period under survey. About 84 per cent of the families recorded an average surplus income as compared of about 64 per cent.

The incidence of indebtedness fell to 38.11 per cent from 50.17 per cent and the average amount of outstanding debt per indebted family was Rs. 22,920 at current prices and Rs. 5,269 at constant prices of 1982 as against Rs. 2,086 in 1981-82. About 29 per cent of the families were living in chawl-bastis, about 24 per cent in flats and 41 per cent had independent houses.

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