Abstract

The Employment and Unemployment surveys of National sample Survey (NSS) are primary sources of data on various indicators of labour force at National and State levels. These are used for planning, policy formulation, decision support and as input for further statistical exercises by various Government organizations, academicians, researchers and scholars. NSS surveys on employment and un-employment with large sample size of households have been conducted quinquennially from 27th. round(October'1972 - September'1973) onwards. The NSS 66th. round carried out during July'2009 - June'2010 was the eighth quinquennial round in the series covering subjects of (i) Household Consumer Expenditure and (ii) Employment and Unemployment.

Field work of the survey is carried out by the Field Operation Division ( FOD ) of National Sample Survey Office ( NSSO ) in which the central samples are covered. most of the State Governments also participate in the survey on matching sample size basis.

The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) during the period July 2009 - June 2010 carried out an all-India household survey on the subject of employment and unemployment in India as a part of 66th round of its survey programme. In this survey, the nation-wide enquiry was conducted to generate estimates of various characteristics pertaining to employment and unemployment and labour force characteristics at the national and State levels. Information on various facets of employment and unemployment in India was collected through a schedule of enquiry (Schedule 10) adopting the established concepts, definitions and procedures. Based on the data collected during the entire period of survey, estimates of some key employment-unemployment characteristics in India and States have been presented in the NSSO published report number NSS KI (66/10) on Key Indicators of Employment and Unemployment July'2009 - June'2010 ( 66th Round).

The main objective of the employment-unemployment surveys conducted by NSSO at periodic interval is to get estimates of level parameters of various employment and unemployment characteristics at national and State level. These statistical indicators on labour market are required for planning, policy and decision making at various levels, both within the government and outside. The critical issues in the context of labour force enquiries pertain to defining the labour force and measuring participation of labour force in different economic activities. The activity participation of the people is not only dynamic but also multidimensional: it varies with region, age, education, gender, level of living, industry and occupational category. These aspects of the labour force are captured in detail in the NSS survey on employment and unemployment and estimates are generated for labour force participation rate, worker population ratio, unemployment rate, wages of employees, etc. The indicators of the structural aspects of the workforce such as status in employment, industrial distribution and occupational distribution are also derived from the survey. Besides, from the data collected on the particulars of enterprises and conditions of employment, the aspects of employment in the informal sector and informal employment are reflected through the conceptual framework of the survey.

Geographic coverage

The survey covered the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remained inaccessible throughout the year. However, all the sample first stage units of both rural and urban areas of Leh, Kargil and Poonch districts of Jammu & Kashmir became casualty and therefore these districts were outside the survey coverage.

Analysis unit

Households and persons

Universe

Households and members of the household

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The 66th round (July 2009-June 2010) of NSS was earmarked for survey on 'Household Consumer Expenditure' and 'Employment and Unemployment'. The survey covered the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year. All the sample first stage units of both rural and urban areas of Leh, Kargil and Poonch districts of Jammu & Kashmir became casualty and therefore these districts were outside the survey coverage. In addition to these, all the sample first stage units of the following areas were casualty in different sub-rounds: (i) in sub-rounds 1, 2, and 4, both rural and urban areas of Rajouri district of Jammu & Kashmir, (ii) in sub-round 2, urban areas of Lakhisarai district of Bihar, (iii) in sub-round 3, rural areas of Doda district of Jammu & Kashmir. The estimates of the different sub-rounds, therefore, excluded these areas. The period of survey was of one year duration starting on 1st July 2009 and ending on 30th June 2010. The survey period of this round was divided into four sub-rounds of three months' duration each, the 1st sub-round period ranging from July to September 2009, the 2nd sub-round period from October to December 2009 and so on. In each of these four sub-rounds equal number of sample villages/ blocks (FSUs) were allotted for survey with a view to ensuring uniform spread of sample FSUs over the entire survey period. Sample Design A stratified multi-stage design was adopted for the 66th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) were the 2001 census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. In addition, two non-UFS towns of Leh and Kargil of Jammu & Kashmir were also treated as FSUs in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) were households in both the sectors. Hamlet-groups/sub-blocks constituted the intermediate stage whenever these were formed in the sample FSUs.

Selection of the first-stage units: The various steps involved before making the selection of the FSUs are discussed at length in the following few paragraphs before taking up the issue of selection of USUs within FSUs.

Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2001 census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) constituted the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the list of latest available UFS blocks constituted the sampling frame. For non-UFS towns, frame consisted of the individual towns (only two towns, viz., Leh & Kargil constituted this frame).

Stratification of the first stage units: Within each district of a State/ UT, two basic strata were formed as follows: i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising of all the urban areas of the district.

However, within the urban areas of a district, if there were one or more towns with population 10 lakhs or more as per population census 2001 in a district, each of them formed a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district were considered as another basic stratum.

Sub-stratification: There was no sub-stratification in the urban sector. However, to net adequate number of child workers, for all rural strata, each stratum was divided into 2 sub-strata as follows:

sub-stratum 1: all villages with proportion of child workers (p) >2P (where P is the average proportion of child workers for the sate/ UT as per Census 2001)

sub-stratum 2: remaining villages

Allocation of FSU's among Strata: At the all-India level, a total number of 12784 FSUs were allocated for survey in the central sample. In addition, 24 State sample FSUs (16 for rural sector and 8 for urban sector) of Leh and Kargil districts of J & K were included in the central sample. The total number of sample FSUs was allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to population as per census 2001 subject to the availability of investigators and ensuring minimum sample allocation to each State/ UT. The State/ UT level sample size was allocated between two sectors in proportion to population as per census 2001 with double weightage to urban sector subject to the restriction that urban sample size for bigger states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, etc. did not exceed the rural sample size. A minimum of 16 FSUs (to the extent possible) was allocated to each state/ UT separately for rural and urban areas. Further the State level allocations for both rural and urban areas were adjusted marginally in a few cases to ensure that each stratum/ sub-stratum got a minimum allocation of 4 FSUs. Within each sector of a State/UT, the respective sample size was allocated to the different strata/ sub-strata in proportion to the population as per census 2001. Allocations at stratum/ sub-stratum level were adjusted to multiples of 4 with a minimum sample size of 4 and equal number of samples was allocated among the four sub rounds.

Selection of first-stage units: For the rural sector, from each stratum/ sub-stratum, required number of sample villages were selected by probability proportional to size with replacement (PPSWR), size being the population of the village as per Census 2001. For urban sector, from each stratum FSUs were selected by using Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR). Both rural and urban samples were drawn in the form of two independent sub-samples.

Selection of Ultimate Stage Units (USU) within a FSU: The remaining paragraphs of this sub-section outlines the various steps leading to the actual selection of USUs within a FSU.

Selection of hamlet-groups/sub-blocks: Selected FSUs with approximate population 1200 or more were divided into a suitable number (say, D) of 'hamlet-groups' in

Abstract

Objective of the survey on employment and unemployment:

The basic objective of the employment-unemployment surveys of NSSO is to get estimates of the employment and unemployment characteristics at national and State level. The statistical indicators on labour market are required for planning, policy and decision making at various levels, both within government and outside. Some of the important uses of these indicators include use by the Planning Commission in evolving employment strategy, use by National Accounts Division in estimating gross domestic product using sector wise workforce participation, and use by various researchers to analyse the condition of the labour market. In this context, it may be mentioned that data collected in NSS employment-unemployment surveys was widely used by the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS), 2009. In NSS 68th round, information on various facets of employment and unemployment will be collected in Schedule 10 (Employment and Unemployment) from all the members of the selected households.

The critical issues in the context of labour force enquiries pertain to defining the labour force and measuring participation of labour force in different economic activities. The activity participation of the people is not only dynamic but also multidimensional; it varies with region, age, education, gender, industry and occupational category. These aspects of the labour force will be captured in detail in the present survey on employment and unemployment. Major types of information that will be collected in this round relate to activity status, industry, occupation and earning from employment for the employees along with education particulars, etc. Besides, the survey will also provide insight into the informal sector and informal employment. Information will be collected from the workers about the type of enterprises in which they were engaged and conditions of employment for the employees. Using the data collected from employment and unemployment surveys, indicators will be generated on labour force participation rate, worker population ratio, unemployment rates, employment in the informal sector, informal employment, wages of employees, etc.

Description:

The survey on employment and unemployment is the prime source of estimates of various parameters of labour force and activity participation of the population. The first quinquennial survey on employment - unemployment, carried out by the NSSO in the 27th round (September 1972 - October 1973), made a marked departure from the earlier employment surveys of NSSO in procedure and content. The concepts and procedures followed in this survey were primarily based on the recommendations of the 'Expert Committee on Unemployment Estimates' (1970). Since then, the seven successive quinquennial surveys conducted in the 32nd, 38th, 43rd, 50th, 55th, 61st and 66th rounds have, more or less, followed an identical approach in the measurement of employment and unemployment. The basic approach (in all these seven quinquennial surveys) had been the collection of data to generate the estimates of employment and unemployment according to the 'usual status' based on a reference period of one year, the 'current weekly status' based on a reference period of one week, and the 'current daily status' based on each day of the seven days preceding the date of survey. In order to reveal the multi-dimensional aspects of the employment-unemployment situation in India, information on several correlates were also gathered in these surveys. Sets of probing questions on some of these aspects had also been one of the basic features of these surveys. In NSS 68th round (July 2011- June 2012), detailed information on employment-unemployment was collected in the same way as was done in the last quinquennial survey, i.e., in NSS 66th round.

A Working Group was set up for the purpose of finalising the survey methodology and schedules of enquiry of the 68th round. Considering all the aspects of current data demand and usefulness of the survey results, the Group has suggested a few improvisations, additions and deletions in the content of the schedule of enquiry for the present survey. The major changes made in the schedule for employment and unemployment survey vis-à-vis the previous quinquennial survey (NSS 66th round) are given below:

a) Block 3: 1) In NSS 66th round survey, along with the information on 'whether the household has NREG job card', information was collected on 'whether got work in NREG works during the last 365 days', 'number of days worked' and 'mode of payment'. In NSS 68th round for rural households, information on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREG) works was collected on the following: i. whether the household has MGNREG job card ii. number of MGNREG job cards issued to the household iii. whether any member of the household has any bank/post office account Information on the last two items (viz., ii & iii) will be collected from the households which have got MGNREG job card. 2) Household type codes and procedure for determination of household type codes in rural areas have been modified.

b) Block 3.1: In this block information on indebtedness of rural labour households was collected in NSS 66th round. This Block was not canvassed in NSS 68th round.

c) Block 4: i. Instead of collecting information on 'whether currently registered with employment exchange' for persons of age 15-45 years as was done in NSS 66th round, information was collected for the same age group on 'whether currently registered with any placement agency'. ii. In NSS 66th round, for vocational training, detailed information was collected on 'duration of training', 'source from which degree/diploma/certificate received' and 'whether the vocational training was ever helpful in getting a job'. In NSS 68th round, collection of information on vocational training was restricted only to 'whether receiving/received any vocational training' and 'field of training'. iii. For persons of age 18 years and above in rural households with MGNREG job card, information was collected on 'whether registered in any MGNREG job card' and, for those who were registered in any MGNREG job card 'whether worked in MGNREG work during last 365 days'. Such information was not collected in NSS 66th round.

d) Block 5.1/5.2: i. Information on 'seeking or available or suitable for the type of occupation' which was collected in NSS 66th round in Block 5.1 from the non-workers of age below 75 years, was not collected. ii. The probing questions to the self-employed persons in the usual status (Block 5.1/5.2) to identify Home Based Workers have been deleted.

e) Block 5.3: i. In this block, for those who were unemployed on all the 7 days of the week, information was also collected on 'duration of present spell of unemployment'. In NSS 66th round, this question was placed in Block 6. Except retaining this item in Block 5.3, Block 6 of NSS 66th round on follow-up questions for persons unemployed on all the 7 days of the week has been deleted.

f) Block 6 (Block 7.1/7.2 of NSS 66th round): i. Block 7.1 and Block 7.2 have been restructured by deleting some of the items and a new block (Block 6) has been formed in NSS 68th round. ii. Questions on remunerativeness of the earning from self-employment which were asked in NSS 66th round in Block 7.1 to the self-employed persons in principal status and/or subsidiary status have been deleted. These were, 'do you regard the current earning from self-employment as remunerative?' and 'what amount per month would you regard as remunerative?'. iii. Information was collected in NSS 66th round in Block 7.2 on some aspects of labour mobility, such as, whether changed establishment, status, industry, occupation during the period of last two years. Information on these items was not collected in NSS 68th round. iv. The three items of Block 7.2 of NSS 66th round which have been retained in NSS 68th round are placed in Block 6. These are: 1. Is there any union/association in your activity? 2. Whether a member of union/association 3. Nature of employment

Geographic coverage

The survey will cover the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sample design

Outline of sample design: A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 68th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) are the 2001 census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) are households in both the sectors. In case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling is the selection of two hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each rural/ urban FSU.

Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2001 census villages (henceforth the term 'village' would include also Panchayat wards for Kerala) constitutes the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the list of UFS blocks (2007-12) is considered as the sampling frame.

Stratification: Within each district of a State/ UT, generally speaking, two basic strata have been formed: i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising of all the urban areas of the district. However, within the urban areas of a district, if there are one or more towns with population 10 lakhs or more as per population census 2001 in a district, each of them forms a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district are considered as another

Abstract

Household consumer expenditure (HCE) is expenditure incurred by households on consumption of goods and services. Household consumer expenditure (HCE) during a specified period, called the reference period, may be defined as the following: (a) expenditure incurred by households on 'consumption goods and services' during the reference period (b) imputed value of goods and services produced as outputs of household (proprietary or partnership) enterprises owned by households and used by their members themselves during the reference period (c) imputed value of goods and services received by households as remuneration in kind during the reference period (d) imputed value of goods and services received by households through social transfers in kind received from government units or non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs) and used by households during the reference period. The survey will cover the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year.

Period of survey and work programme: The period of survey will be of one year duration starting on 1st July 2011 and ending on 30th June 2012. The survey period of this round will be divided into four sub-rounds of three months' duration each as follows:

sub-round 1 : July - September 2011
sub-round 2 : October - December 2011 sub-round 3 : January - March 2012
sub-round 4 : April - June 2012

Objective of the consumer expenditure survey (CES): Firstly, as an indicator of level of living, monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) is both simple and universally applicable. Average MPCE of any sub-population of the country (any region or population group) is a single number that summarises the level of living of that population.Apart from these major uses of the CES, the food (quantity) consumption data are used to study the level of nutrition of different regions, and disparities therein. Further, the budget shares of a commodity at different MPCE levels are used by economists and market researchers to determine the elasticity (responsiveness) of demand to income increases.

Geographic coverage

The survey will cover the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year.

Analysis unit

Randomly selected households based on sampling procedure and members of the household.

Universe

The survey used the interview method of data collection from a sample of randomly selected households and members of the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sample Design

Outline of sample design: A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 68th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) are the 2001 census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) are households in both the sectors. In case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling is the selection of two hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each rural/ urban FSU.

Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2001 census villages (henceforth the term 'village' would include also Panchayat wards for Kerala) constitutes the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the list of UFS blocks (2007-12) is considered as the sampling frame.

Stratification: Within each district of a State/ UT, generally speaking, two basic strata have been formed: i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising of all the urban areas of the district. However, within the urban areas of a district, if there are one or more towns with population 10 lakhs or more as per population census 2001 in a district, each of them forms a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district are considered as another basic stratum.

Sub-stratification:

Rural sector r: If 'r' be the sample size allocated for a rural stratum, the number of sub-strata formed would be 'r/4'. The villages within a district as per frame were first arranged in ascending order of population. Then sub-strata 1 to 'r/4' have been demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum comprised a group of villages of the arranged frame and have more or less equal population.

Urban sector: If 'u' be the sample size for an urban stratum, 'u/4' number of sub-strata have been formed. In case u/4 is more than 1, implying formation of 2 or more sub-strata, this is done by first arranging the towns in ascending order of total number of households in the town as per UFS phase 2007-12 and then arranging the IV units of each town and blocks within each IV unit in ascending order of their numbers. From this arranged frame of UFS blocks of all the towns/million plus city of a stratum, 'u/4' number of sub- strata formed in such a way that each sub-stratum has more or less equal number of households as per UFS 2007-12.

Total sample size (FSUs): 12784 FSUs have been allocated for the central sample at all-India level and 14772 FSUs have been allocated for state sample. Statewise allocation of sample FSUs has been given in Appendix Table-1.

Allocation of total sample to States and UTs: The total number of sample FSUs has allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to population as per census 2001 subject to a minimum sample allocation to each State/ UT. While doing so, the resource availability in terms of number of field investigators has been kept in view.

Allocation of State/ UT level sample to rural and urban sectors: State/ UT level sample size has been allocated between two sectors in proportion to population as per census 2001 with double weightage to urban sector. However, if such weighted allocation resulted in too high sample size for the urban sector, the allocation for bigger states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, etc. was restricted to that of the rural sector. A minimum of 16 FSUs (minimum 8 each for rural and urban sector separately) is allocated to each state/ UT.

Allocation to strata/ sub-strata: Within each sector of a State/ UT, the respective sample size has been allocated to the different strata/ sub-strata in proportion to the population as per census 2001. Allocations at stratum level are adjusted to multiples of 4 with a minimum sample size of 4. Allocation for each sub-stratum is 4. Equal number of samples has been allocated among the four sub-rounds.

Selection of FSUs:

For the rural sector, from each stratum/ sub-stratum, required number of sample villages has been selected by probability proportional to size with replacement (PPSWR), size being the population of the village as per Census 2001.

For the urban sector, UFS 2007-12 phase has been used for all towns and cities and FSUs have been selected from each stratum/sub-stratum by using Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR).

Both rural and urban samples are to be drawn in the form of two independent sub-samples and equal number of samples have been allocated among the four sub rounds.

Selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks - important steps

Criterion for hamlet-group/ sub-block formation: After identification of the boundaries of the FSU, it is first determined whether listing is to be done in the whole sample FSU or not. In case the population of the selected FSU is found to be 1200 or more, it has to be divided into a suitable number (say, D) of 'hamlet-groups' in the rural sector and 'sub-blocks' in the urban sector by more or less equalising the population as stated below.

approximate present population of the sample FSU no. of hg's/sb's to be formed

less than 1200 (no hamlet-groups/sub-blocks) 1
1200 to 1799 3
1800 to 2399 4
2400 to 2999 5
3000 to 3599 6
…………..and so on

For rural areas of Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand (except four districts Dehradun (P), Nainital (P), Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar), Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Doda, Leh (Ladakh), Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir and Idukki district of Kerala, the number of hamlet-groups are formed as follows:

approximate present population of the sample village no. of hg's to be formed

less than 600 (no hamlet-groups) 1
600 to 899 3
900 to 1199 4
1200 to 1499 5
.………..and so on

Formation and selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks: In case hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks are formed in the sample FSU, the same is done by more or less equalizing population.

Two hamlet-groups (hg)/ sub-blocks (sb) are selected from a large FSU wherever hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks have been formed in the following manner - one hg/ sb with maximum percentage share of population is always selected and termed as hg/ sb 1; one more hg/ sb is selected from the remaining hg's/ sb's by simple random sampling (SRS) and termed as hg/ sb 2. Listing and selection of the households is done independently in the two selected hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks. The FSUs without hg/ sb formation are treated as sample hg/ sb number 1. It is to be noted that if more than one hg/ sb have same maximum percentage share of population, the one among them which is listed first in block 4.2 of schedule 0.0 is treated as hg/ sb 1.

Selection of households: From each SSS the sample households for each of the schedules are selected by SRSWOR. If a household is selected for more than one schedule, only one schedule is canvassed in that household in the priority order of Schedule 1.0 (Type 1), Schedule 1.0 (Type 2) and Schedule 10 and in

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

households/individuals

Kind of data

survey

Frequency of data collection

Yearly

Sampling procedure

Sample size:

Abstract

Household consumer expenditure (HCE) is expenditure incurred by households on consumption of goods and services. Household consumer expenditure (HCE) during a specified period, called the reference period, may be defined as the following: (a) expenditure incurred by households on 'consumption goods and services' during the reference period (b) imputed value of goods and services produced as outputs of household (proprietary or partnership) enterprises owned by households and used by their members themselves during the reference period (c) imputed value of goods and services received by households as remuneration in kind during the reference period (d) imputed value of goods and services received by households through social transfers in kind received from government units or non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs) and used by households during the reference period. The survey will cover the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year.

Period of survey and work programme: The period of survey will be of one year duration starting on 1st July 2011 and ending on 30th June 2012. The survey period of this round will be divided into four sub-rounds of three months' duration each as follows:

sub-round 1 : July - September 2011
sub-round 2 : October - December 2011 sub-round 3 : January - March 2012
sub-round 4 : April - June 2012

Objective of the consumer expenditure survey (CES): Firstly, as an indicator of level of living, monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) is both simple and universally applicable. Average MPCE of any sub-population of the country (any region or population group) is a single number that summarises the level of living of that population.Apart from these major uses of the CES, the food (quantity) consumption data are used to study the level of nutrition of different regions, and disparities therein. Further, the budget shares of a commodity at different MPCE levels are used by economists and market researchers to determine the elasticity (responsiveness) of demand to income increases.

Geographic coverage

The survey will cover the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year.

Analysis unit

Randomly selected households based on sampling procedure and members of the household.

Universe

The survey used the interview method of data collection from a sample of randomly selected households and members of the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sample Design

Outline of sample design: A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 68th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) are the 2001 census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) are households in both the sectors. In case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling is the selection of two hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each rural/ urban FSU.

Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2001 census villages (henceforth the term 'village' would include also Panchayat wards for Kerala) constitutes the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the list of UFS blocks (2007-12) is considered as the sampling frame.

Stratification: Within each district of a State/ UT, generally speaking, two basic strata have been formed: i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising of all the urban areas of the district. However, within the urban areas of a district, if there are one or more towns with population 10 lakhs or more as per population census 2001 in a district, each of them forms a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district are considered as another basic stratum.

Sub-stratification:

Rural sector r: If 'r' be the sample size allocated for a rural stratum, the number of sub-strata formed would be 'r/4'. The villages within a district as per frame were first arranged in ascending order of population. Then sub-strata 1 to 'r/4' have been demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum comprised a group of villages of the arranged frame and have more or less equal population.

Urban sector: If 'u' be the sample size for an urban stratum, 'u/4' number of sub-strata have been formed. In case u/4 is more than 1, implying formation of 2 or more sub-strata, this is done by first arranging the towns in ascending order of total number of households in the town as per UFS phase 2007-12 and then arranging the IV units of each town and blocks within each IV unit in ascending order of their numbers. From this arranged frame of UFS blocks of all the towns/million plus city of a stratum, 'u/4' number of sub- strata formed in such a way that each sub-stratum has more or less equal number of households as per UFS 2007-12.

Total sample size (FSUs): 12784 FSUs have been allocated for the central sample at all-India level and 14772 FSUs have been allocated for state sample. Statewise allocation of sample FSUs has been given in Appendix Table-1.

Allocation of total sample to States and UTs: The total number of sample FSUs has allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to population as per census 2001 subject to a minimum sample allocation to each State/ UT. While doing so, the resource availability in terms of number of field investigators has been kept in view.

Allocation of State/ UT level sample to rural and urban sectors: State/ UT level sample size has been allocated between two sectors in proportion to population as per census 2001 with double weightage to urban sector. However, if such weighted allocation resulted in too high sample size for the urban sector, the allocation for bigger states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, etc. was restricted to that of the rural sector. A minimum of 16 FSUs (minimum 8 each for rural and urban sector separately) is allocated to each state/ UT.

Allocation to strata/ sub-strata: Within each sector of a State/ UT, the respective sample size has been allocated to the different strata/ sub-strata in proportion to the population as per census 2001. Allocations at stratum level are adjusted to multiples of 4 with a minimum sample size of 4. Allocation for each sub-stratum is 4. Equal number of samples has been allocated among the four sub-rounds.

Selection of FSUs:

For the rural sector, from each stratum/ sub-stratum, required number of sample villages has been selected by probability proportional to size with replacement (PPSWR), size being the population of the village as per Census 2001.

For the urban sector, UFS 2007-12 phase has been used for all towns and cities and FSUs have been selected from each stratum/sub-stratum by using Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR).

Both rural and urban samples are to be drawn in the form of two independent sub-samples and equal number of samples have been allocated among the four sub rounds.

Selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks - important steps

Criterion for hamlet-group/ sub-block formation: After identification of the boundaries of the FSU, it is first determined whether listing is to be done in the whole sample FSU or not. In case the population of the selected FSU is found to be 1200 or more, it has to be divided into a suitable number (say, D) of 'hamlet-groups' in the rural sector and 'sub-blocks' in the urban sector by more or less equalising the population as stated below.

approximate present population of the sample FSU no. of hg's/sb's to be formed

less than 1200 (no hamlet-groups/sub-blocks) 1
1200 to 1799 3
1800 to 2399 4
2400 to 2999 5
3000 to 3599 6
…………..and so on

For rural areas of Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand (except four districts Dehradun (P), Nainital (P), Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar), Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Doda, Leh (Ladakh), Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir and Idukki district of Kerala, the number of hamlet-groups are formed as follows:

approximate present population of the sample village no. of hg's to be formed

less than 600 (no hamlet-groups) 1
600 to 899 3
900 to 1199 4
1200 to 1499 5
.………..and so on

Formation and selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks: In case hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks are formed in the sample FSU, the same is done by more or less equalizing population.

Two hamlet-groups (hg)/ sub-blocks (sb) are selected from a large FSU wherever hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks have been formed in the following manner - one hg/ sb with maximum percentage share of population is always selected and termed as hg/ sb 1; one more hg/ sb is selected from the remaining hg's/ sb's by simple random sampling (SRS) and termed as hg/ sb 2. Listing and selection of the households is done independently in the two selected hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks. The FSUs without hg/ sb formation are treated as sample hg/ sb number 1. It is to be noted that if more than one hg/ sb have same maximum percentage share of population, the one among them which is listed first in block 4.2 of schedule 0.0 is treated as hg/ sb 1.

Selection of households: From each SSS the sample households for each of the schedules are selected by SRSWOR. If a household is selected for more than one schedule, only one schedule is canvassed in that household in the priority order of Schedule 1.0 (Type 1), Schedule 1.0 (Type 2) and Schedule 10 and in

Abstract

Objective of the consumer expenditure survey (CES): Firstly, as an indicator of level of living, monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) is both simple and universally applicable. Average MPCE of any sub-population of the country (any region or population group) is a single number that summarises the level of living of that population. It is supplemented by the distribution of MPCE, which highlights the differences in level of living of the different parts of the population. More detailed analysis of the distribution of MPCE reveals the proportion and absolute numbers of the poor with respect to a given poverty line. A welfare state has to take note of these numbers in allocating its resources among sectors, regions, and socio-economic groups. The distribution of MPCE can also be used to measure the level of inequality, or the degree to which consumer expenditure is concentrated in a small proportion of households or persons, and this can be done without any predetermined poverty line or welfare norms.

If socialism was the ideal of the 1950's, the ideal of policy-makers during the last decade was "inclusive growth". Increasingly, inclusive growth is seen as the all-important target that we should aim at, at least for the immediate future. Not surprisingly, the NSS CES is being used by scholars as a searchlight focused on the country's development process that shows up just how inclusive the country's growth has been.

Since the data is collected not only on consumption level but also on the pattern of consumption, the CES has another important use. To work out consumer price indices (CPIs) which measure the general rise in consumer prices, one needs to know not only the price rise for each commodity group but also the budget shares of different commodity groups (used as weights). The budget shares as revealed by the NSS CES are being used for a long time to prepare what is called the weighing diagram for official compilation of CPIs. More extensive use of NSS CES data is planned to have a weighing diagram that uses a finer commodity classification, to prepare rural and urban CPIs separately for each State.

Apart from these major uses of the CES, the food (quantity) consumption data are used to study the level of nutrition of different regions, and disparities therein. Further, the budget shares of a commodity at different MPCE levels are used by economists and market researchers to determine the elasticity (responsiveness) of demand to income increases.

Two types of Schedule 1.0 viz. Schedule Type 1 and Schedule Type 2 was canvassed in this round. Schedule Type 1 and Type 2 are similar to those of NSS 66th round.

Reference period and schedule type: The reference period is the period of time to which the information collected relates. In NSS surveys, the reference period often varies from item to item. Data collected with different reference periods are known to exhibit certain systematic differences. Strictly speaking, therefore, comparisons should be made only among estimates based on data collected with identical reference period systems. In the 68th round - as in the 66th round -two schedule types have been drawn up. The two schedule types differonly in respect of reference period. Sample households were divided into two sets: Schedule Type 1 was canvassed in one set and Schedule Type 2 in the other.

Schedule Type 1 uses the same reference period system as Schedule Type 1 of NSS 66th round. Schedule Type 1 requires that for certain items (Clothing, bedding, footwear, education, medical (institutional), durable goods), the same household should report data for two reference periods - 'Last 30 days' and 'Last 365 days'. Schedule Type 2 has the same reference periods as Schedule Type 2 of NSS 66th round. For Group I items (Clothing, bedding, footwear, education, medical (institutional), durable goods), the reference period used in Schedule Type 2 is 'Last 365 days'.

As in the 66th round, items of food, pan, tobacco and intoxicants (Food-plus category) are split into 2 blocks - 5.1 and 5.2 - instead of being placed in a single block. • Block 5.1 consists of the item groups cereals, pulses, milk and milk products, sugar and salt. This block has a reference period of 30 days in both Schedule Type 1 and Schedule Type 2. • Block 5.2 consists of the other items of food, along with pan, tobacco and intoxicants. This block is assigned a reference period of 'Last 30 days' in Schedule Type 1 and a reference period of 'Last 7 days' in Schedule Type 2.

Thus Schedule Type 1, like Schedule 1.0 of NSS 66th round, uses the 'Last 30 days' reference period for all items of food, and for pan, tobacco and intoxicants.

Geographic coverage

The survey covers the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sample design

Outline of sample design: A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 68th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) are the 2001 census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) are households in both the sectors. In case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling is the selection of two hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each rural/ urban FSU.

Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2001 census villages (henceforth the term 'village' would include also Panchayat wards for Kerala) constitutes the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the list of UFS blocks (2007-12) is considered as the sampling frame.

Stratification: Within each district of a State/ UT, generally speaking, two basic strata have been formed: i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising of all the urban areas of the district. However, within the urban areas of a district, if there are one or more towns with population 10 lakhs or more as per population census 2001 in a district, each of them forms a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district are considered as another basic stratum.

Sub-stratification: Rural sector r: If 'r' be the sample size allocated for a rural stratum, the number of sub-strata formed would be 'r/4'. The villages within a district as per frame were first arranged in ascending order of population. Then sub-strata 1 to 'r/4' have been demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum comprised a group of villages of the arranged frame and have more or less equal population. Urban sector: If 'u' be the sample size for an urban stratum, 'u/4' number of sub-strata have been formed. In case u/4 is more than 1, implying formation of 2 or more sub-strata, this is done by first arranging the towns in ascending order of total number of households in the town as per UFS phase 2007-12 and then arranging the IV units of each town and blocks within each IV unit in ascending order of their numbers. From this arranged frame of UFS blocks of all the towns/million plus city of a stratum, 'u/4' number of sub- strata formed in such a way that each sub-stratum has more or less equal number of households as per UFS 2007-12.

Total sample size (FSUs): 12784 FSUs have been allocated for the central sample at all-India level and 14772 FSUs have been allocated for state sample.

Allocation of total sample to States and UTs: The total number of sample FSUs has allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to population as per census 2001 subject to a minimum sample allocation to each State/ UT. While doing so, the resource availability in terms of number of field investigators has been kept in view.

Allocation of State/ UT level sample to rural and urban sectors: State/ UT level sample size has been allocated between two sectors in proportion to population as per census 2001 with double weightage to urban sector. However, if such weighted allocation resulted in too high sample size for the urban sector, the allocation for bigger states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, etc. was restricted to that of the rural sector. A minimum of 16 FSUs (minimum 8 each for rural and urban sector separately) is allocated to each state/ UT.

Allocation to strata/ sub-strata: Within each sector of a State/ UT, the respective sample size has been allocated to the different strata/ sub-strata in proportion to the population as per census 2001. Allocations at stratum level are adjusted to multiples of 4 with a minimum sample size of 4. Allocation for each sub-stratum is 4. Equal number of samples has been allocated among the four sub-rounds.

Selection of FSUs: For the rural sector, from each stratum/ sub-stratum, required number of sample villages has been selected by probability proportional to size with replacement (PPSWR), size being the population of the village as per Census 2001. For the urban sector, UFS 2007-12 phase has been used for all towns and cities and FSUs have been selected from each stratum/sub-stratum by using Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR). Both rural and urban samples are to be drawn in the form of two independent sub-samples and equal number of samples have been allocated among the four sub rounds.

Selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks - important steps

Criterion for hamlet-group/ sub-block formation: After identification of the boundaries of the FSU, it is first determined whether listing is to be done in the whole sample FSU or not. In case the population of the selected FSU is found to be 1200 or more, it has to be divided into a suitable number (say, D) of 'hamlet-groups' in the rural

The dataset contains the State, Year and Region-wise Distribution of households having electricity. Data is sourced from 2001, 2011 census, NSS 60th Round(Jan. 2004 -June.2004), NSS 61st Round(July 2004-June 2005), NSS 62nd Round (July. 2005-June 2006), NSS 63rd Round (July 2006 - June 2007), NSS 64th Round (July 2007- June 2008), NSS 65th Round (July. 2008-June. 2009), NSS 66th Round(July 2009 - June 2010), NSS 68th Round (July 2011 - June 2012) , NSS 69th Round (July 2012- Dec 2012) and NSS 76th Round (July 2018 - Dec 2018) for all rural and urban areas of Indian States and UTs.

Abstract

The National Sample Surveys (NSS) are being conducted by the Government of India since 1950 to collect socio-economic data employing scientific sampling methods. Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24 will commence from August 2023.

The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) is designed to collect information on consumption of goods and services by the households. Information collected in HCES is used for analyzing and understanding the consumption and expenditure pattern, standard of living and well-being of the households. Besides, the data of the survey provides budget shares of different commodity groups that is used for preparation of the weighting diagram for compilation of official Consumer Price Indices (CPIs). The data collected in HCES is also utilized for deriving various other macroeconomic indicators.

Geographic coverage

8,684 FSUs in the rural areas and 6,143 in the urban areas have been surveyed in HCES:2023-24. The total sample size of 14,827FSUs has been allocated to State/UTs in proportion to Census 2011 population, subject to a minimum allocation of 40 FSUs.

Sampling procedure

The latest survey on household consumption expenditure (previously known as household consumer expenditure survey) was conducted during the period August 2023 to July 2024 in which information was collected from each sampled household in three questionnaires, namely, Questionnaire: FDQ (Food Items), Questionnaire: CSQ (Consumables & Services) and Questionnaire: DGQ (Durable Items) in three separate monthly visits in a quarter. Apart from these, another questionnaire, namely, Questionnaire: HCQ was canvassed to collect information on household characteristics.

In HCES: 2023-24, a multi-stage stratified sampling design was used where villages/urban blocks or sub-units of these were regarded as the First Stage Units (FSU) and the households were the Ultimate Stage Units (USU). Both the FSUs and USUs were selected with Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR). 18 sample households were canvassed within an FSU.

The survey period of HCES:2023-24was divided into 10 panels, each consisting of three months. In the first month of any panel,Questionnaire: HCQ along with any one of the questionnaires, i.e., FDQ/CSQ/DGQwere canvassed in the selected households. During the second month of the panel, any one from the remaining two questionnaires was canvassed and in the last month, the last questionnaire was canvassed. The sequence of the questionnaires to be canvassed in each month of a panel for a particular FSU was decided randomly to eliminate bias that may arise due to the adoption of a particular sequencing for canvassing. Thus, all six possible sequences, i.e., [(Q1, Q2, Q3), (Q1, Q3, Q2), (Q2, Q1, Q3), (Q2, Q3, Q1), (Q3, Q1, Q2) and (Q3, Q2, Q1)], where Q1 refers to FDQ, Q2 refers to CSQ and Q3 refers to DGQ, were canvassed at random in the sample households.

The sampling frame for urban sector is the list of Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks as per latest Urban Frame Survey and for rural sector, it is the list of villages as per Census 2011 updated by removing those villages which are urbanized and included in latest UFS (till the time of sample selection).Sometimes, with a view to ensure uniformity in the size of FSUs and operational convenience, large villages/UFS blocks are notionally divided into smaller units of more or less equal size, known as sub-units depending on a pre-defined criteria based on population in the village or number of households in the UFS block. The sector-specific criteria for sub-unit formation are as below:

Rural Sector (i) The number of SUs to be formed in the villages (with Census 2011 population of 1000 or more and except some States/UTs) are decided based on projected present population of the village. The criteria aregiven below:

Projected Population of the village No. of SUs to be formed
less than 1200 1
1200 to 2399 2 2400 to 3599 3
… …

(ii) For rural areas of Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Ladakh, Parts of Uttarakhand (except four districts Dehradun, Nainital, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar), Jammu and Kashmir (seven districts Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban) and Idukki district of Kerala; SU is formed in a village if population as per Census 2011 is more than or equals to 500. The criteria for the number of SU to be formed are as below:

Projected Population of the village Number of SUs to be formed
less than 600 1
600 to 1199 2
1200 to 1799 3
... ...

Urban Sector: (i) SUs are formed in those UFS blockshaving more than or equal to 250 households. The number of SUs to be formed within the UFS blocks is decided by the following criteria:

Number of Households in UFS Block Number of SUs to be formed
less than 250 1
250 to 499 2
500 to 749 3
… …
Thus, the list of Villages / UFS Blocks / Sub-Units (for those villages or UFS blocks where sub-units are formed within) together formed the sampling frame for First Stage Unit selection.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Abstract

The Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS), conducted annually by the NSS National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia, formed the basis for monitoring living conditions in Armenia. The ILCS is a universally recognized best-practice survey for collecting data to inform about the living standards of households. The ILCS comprises comprehensive and valuable data on the welfare of households and separate individuals which gives the NSS an opportunity to provide the public with up to date information on the population’s income, expenditures, the level of poverty and the other changes in living standards on an annual basis.

Geographic coverage

Urban and rural communities

Analysis unit

• Households;
• Individuals.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

During the 2001-2003 surveys two-stage random sample was used; the first stage covered the selection of settlements - cities and villages, while the second stage was focused on the selection of households in these settlements. The surveys were conducted on the principle of monthly rotation of households by clusters (sample units). In 2002 and 2003 the number of households was 387 with the sample covering 14 cities and 30 villages in 2002 and 17 cities and 20 villages in 2003.

During the 2004-2006 surveys the sampling frame for the ILCS was built using the database of addresses for the 2001 Population Census; the database was developed with the World Bank technical assistance. The database of addresses of all households in Armenia was divided into 48 strata including 12 communities of Yerevan city. The households from other regions (marzes) were grouped according to the following three categories: big towns with 15,000 and more population; villages, and other towns. Big towns formed 16 strata (the only exception was the Vayots Dzor marz where there are no big towns). The villages and other towns formed 10 strata each. According to this division, a random, two-step sample stratified at marz level was developed. All marzes, as well as all urban and rural settlements were included in the sample population according to the share of population residing in those settlements as percent to the total population in the country. In the first step, the settlements, i.e. primary sample units, were selected: 43 towns out of 48 or 90 percent of all towns in Armenia were surveyed during the year; also 216 villages out of 951 or 23 percent of all villages in the country were covered by the survey. In the second step, the respondent households were selected: 6,816 households (5,088 from urban and 1,728 from rural settlements). As a result, for the first time since 1996 survey data were representative at the marz level.

During the 2007-2012 surveys the sampling frame for ILCS was designed according to the database of addresses for the 2001 Population Census, which was developed with the World Bank technical assistance. The sample consisted of two parts: core sample and oversample.

1) For the creation of core sample, the sample frame (database of addresses of all households in Armenia) was divided into 48 strata including 12 communities of Yerevan city. The households from other regions (marzes) were grouped according to three categories: large towns (with population of 15000 and higher), villages and other towns. Large towns formed by 16 groups (strata), while the villages and towns formed by 10 strata each. According to that division, a random, two-step sample stratified at the marz level was developed. All marzes, as well as all urban and rural settlements were included in the sample population according to the share of households residing in those settlements as percent to the total households in the country. In the first step, using the PPS method the enumeration units (i.e., primary sample units to be surveyed during the year) were selected. 2007 sample includes 48 urban and 18 rural enumeration areas per month. 2) The oversample was drawn from the list of villages included in MCA-Armenia Rural Roads Rehabilitation Project. The enumeration areas of villages that were already in the core sample were excluded from that list. From the remaining enumeration areas 18 enumeration areas were selected per month. Thus, the rural sample size was doubled. 3) After merging the core sample and oversample, the survey households were selected in the second step. 656 households were surveyed per month, from which 368 from urban and 288 from rural settlements. Each month 82 interviewers had conducted field work, and their workload included 8 households per month. In 2007 number of surveyed households was 7,872 (4,416 from urban and 3,456 from rural areas).

For the survey 2013 the sample frame for ILCS was designed in accordance with the database of addresses of all private households in the country developed on basis of the 2001 Population Census results, with the technical assistance of the World Bank. The method of systematic representative probability sampling was used to frame the sample. For the purpose of drawing the sample, the sample frame was divided into 32 strata including 12 communities of Yerevan City (currently, the administrative districts). According to this division, a two-tier sample was drawn stratified by regions and by Yerevan. All regions and Yerevan, as well as all urban and rural communities were included in the sample in accordance to the shares of their resident households within the total number of households in the country. In the first round, enumeration areas - that is primary sample units to be surveyed during the year - were selected. The ILCS 2013 sample included 32 enumeration areas in urban and 16 enumeration areas in rural communities per month. The households to be surveyed were selected in the second round. A total of 432 households were surveyed per month, of which 279 and 153 households from urban and rural communities, respectively. Every month 48 interviewers went on field work with a workload of 9 households per month.

The sample frame for 2014-2016 was designed in accordance with the database of addresses of all private households in the country developed on basis of the 2011 Population Census results, with the technical assistance of the World Bank. The method of systematic representative probability sampling was used to frame the sample.
For drawing the sample, the sample frame was divided into 32 strata including 12 communities of Yerevan City (currently, the administrative districts). According to this division, a two-tier sample was drawn stratified by regions and by Yerevan. All regions and Yerevan, as well as all urban and rural communities were included in the sample in accordance to the shares of their resident households within the total number of households in the country. In the first round, enumeration areas - that is primary sample units to be surveyed during the year - were selected. The ILCS 2014 sample included 30 enumeration areas in urban and 18 enumeration areas in rural communities per month. The method of representative probability sampling was used to frame the sample. At regional level, all communities were grouped into two categories - towns and villages. According to this division, a two-tier sample was drawn stratified by regions and by Yerevan. All regions and Yerevan, as well as all rural and urban communities were included in the sample in accordance to the shares of their resident households within the total number of households in the country. In the first round, enumeration districts - that is primary sample units to be surveyed during the year - were selected. The ILCS 2015 sample included 30 enumeration districts in urban and 18 enumeration districts in rural communities per month.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The Questionnaire is filled in by the interviewer during the least five visits to households per month. During face-to-face interviews with the household head or another knowledgeable adult member, the interviewer collects information on the composition and housing conditions of the household, the employment status, educational level and health condition of the members, availability and use of land, livestock, and agricultural machinery, monetary and commodity flows between households, and other information.

The 2011 survey questionnaire had the following sections: (1) "List of Household Members", (2) "Migration", (3) "Housing and Dwelling Conditions", (4) "Employment", (5) "Education", (6) "Agriculture", (7) "Food Production", (8) "Monetary and Commodity Flows between Households", (9) "Health (General) and Healthcare", (10) "Debts", (11) "Subjective Assessment of Living Conditions", (12) "Provision of Services", (13) "Social Assistance", (14) "Households as Employers for Service Personnel", and (15) "Household Monthly Consumption of Energy Resources".

The Diary is completed directly by the household for one month. Every day the household would record all its expenditures on food, non-food products and services, also giving a detailed description of such purchases; e.g. for food products the name, quantity, cost, and place of purchase of the product is recorded. Besides, the household records its consumption of food products received and used from its own land and livestock, as well as from other sources (e.g. gifts, humanitarian aid). Non-food products and services purchased or received for free are also recorded in the diary. Then, the household records its income received during the month. At the end of the month, information on rarely used food products, durable goods and ceremonies is recorded, as well. The records in the diary are verified by the interviewer in the course of 5

This dataset provides the unemployment rate (UR), in percentage, according to the usual status (ps+ss) for different social groups. For years before 2017-18, the data was obtained in different quinquennial rounds of NSSO conducted from 2004-05 (NSS 61st) to 2011-12 (NSS 68th round). From 2017-18 the data is sourced from the annual report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

This dataset provides the unemployment rates for major religious groups in India, based on usual status (ps+ss). For years before 2017-18, the data was obtained in different quinquennial rounds of NSSO conducted from 2004-05 (NSS 61st) to 2011-12 (NSS 68th round). From 2017-18 the data is sourced from the annual report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The data highlights unemployment trends within different religious communities.

Abstract

The National Sample Surveys (NSS) are being conducted by the Government of India since 1950 to collect socio-economic data employing scientific sampling methods. Seventyeighth rounds of NSS will commence from 1st January 2020. NSS 78th round is earmarked for collection of data on ‘Domestic Tourism Expenditure and ‘Multiple Indicators’. Survey on Multiple Indicators is being conducted for the first time in NSS during this round.

The objective of Multiple Indicator Survey (MIS) is to collect information for developing some important indicators of Sustainable Development Goals 2030. In formation on (i) Migration and (ii)Construction of houses since 2014-15 will also be collected through MIS as per the request of M/o HUA. In addition to these, information on access to mass media, availability of birth registration certificate will be collected in MIS.

Geographic coverage

The survey will cover the whole of the Indian Union except the villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which are difficult to access.

Analysis unit

Randomly selected households based on sampling procedure and members of the household.

Universe

The survey used the interview method of data collection from a sample of randomly selected households and members of the household.

Sampling procedure

Sample Design

Formation of sub-units (SUs): Rural areas: A rural village will be notionally divided into a number of sub-units (SU) of more or less equal population during the preparation of frame. Census 2011 population of villages will be projected by applying suitable growth rates and the number of SUs to be formed in a village will be determined apriori.

The above procedure of SU formation will be implemented in the villages with population more than or equal to 1000 as per Census 2011. In the remaining villages, no SU will be formed.

The number of SUs to be formed in the villages (with Census 2011 population 1000 or more) of the frame will be decided before selection of the samples following the criteria given below: projected population of the village no. of SUs to be formed less than 1200 1 1200 to 2399 2 2400 to 3599 3 3600 to 4799 4 4800 to 5999 5 .......and so on ....

Special case: For rural areas of (i) Himachal Pradesh, (ii) Sikkim, (iii) Andaman & Nicobar Islands, (iv) Uttarakhand (except four districts Dehradun, Nainital, Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar), (v) Punch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban of Jammu and Kashmir (vi) Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh region and (vii) Idukki district of Kerala, numbers of SUs to be formed in a village will be determined in such a way that each SU contains 600 or less projected population. Further, SUs will not be formed in the villages in the above mentioned districts/States with population less than 500 as per Census 2011. In the remaining villages the number of SUs to be formed for these States/districts will be as follows: projected population of the village no. of SUs to be formed less than 600 1 600 to 1199 2 1200 to 1799 3 1800 to 2399 4 2400 to 2999 5 .......and so on ....

Urban areas: SUs will be formed in urban sector also. The procedure will be similar to that adopted in rural areas except that SUs will be formed on the basis of households in the UFS frame instead of population, since UFS frame does not have population. Each UFS block with number of households more than or equal to 250 will be divided into a number of SUs. In the remaining UFS blocks, no SU will be formed.

The number of SUs to be formed in the UFS blocks of the frame will be decided before selection of the samples following the criteria given below: number of households of the UFS block no. of SUs to be formed less than 250 1 250 to 499 2 500 to 749 3 750 to 999 4 1000 to 1249 5 .......and so on ....

Stratification of FSUs: (a) Each district will be a stratum. Within each district of a State/UT, generally speaking, two basic strata will be formed: (i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising of all the urban areas of the district. However, within the urban areas of a district, if there are one or more towns with population one million or more as per Census 2011, each of them will form a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district will be considered as another basic stratum. (b) A special stratum, in the rural areas only, will be formed at all-India level before district level strata are formed in each State/UT. This stratum will comprise all the uninhabited villages as per Census 2011 belonging to all States/UTs.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face

This dataset shows the Worker Population Ratio (WPR), in percentage terms, for different social groups, based on usual status (ps+ss). For years before 2017-18, the data was obtained in different quinquennial rounds of NSSO conducted from 2004-05 (NSS 61st) to 2011-12 (NSS 68th round). From 2017-18 the data is sourced from the annual report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The data highlights the proportion of the working population within various social categories.

The Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS), conducted annually by the NSS National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia, formed the basis for monitoring living conditions in Armenia. The ILCS is a universally recognized best-practice survey for collecting data to inform about the living standards of households. The ILCS comprises comprehensive and valuable data on the welfare of households and separate individuals which gives the NSS an opportunity to provide the public with up to date information on the population’s income, expenditures, the level of poverty and the other changes in living standards on an annual basis.

Measurement error of consumption expenditure and their effect on estimates of catastrophic health spending in IndiaThe National Sample Survey (NSS), India data is publicly available data set and can be accessed on request. It can be downloaded upon registration at http://microdata.gov.in/nada43/index.php/home. We have used data from the consumption (2011-12) and health round (2014) of NSS. The datasets from these surveys have been used to obtain this dataset used in the analysis for a paper entitled "Implications of measurement error of consumption expenditure on estimates of catastrophic health expenditure in India" to be published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

The Integrated Living Conditions Survey (ILCS), conducted annually by the NSS National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia, formed the basis for monitoring living conditions in Armenia. The ILCS is a universally recognized best-practice survey for collecting data to inform about the living standards of households. The ILCS comprises comprehensive and valuable data on the welfare of households and separate individuals which gives the NSS an opportunity to provide the public with up to date information on the population’s income, expenditures, the level of poverty and the other changes in living standards on an annual basis.

Abstract

The surveys on 'Household Social Consumption: Education' conducted by NSSO covers both qualitative and quantitative aspects related to educational attainment of the household members and educational services used by them. Qualitative aspects include literacy, educational level attained, type of institution, current attendance/enrolment, whether received free education, reason for 'never enrolled'/'ever enrolled but currently not attending', etc. On quantitative aspects, information was collected on 'expenditure incurred/to be incurred on education' of the household member by the household itself, by other households or by any institutions/organizations other than Government.

Reference period : July 2017-June 2018

Period of survey and work programme: The survey period of the round will be divided into four sub-rounds of three months’ duration each as follows: sub-round 1 : July - September 2017 sub-round 2 : October - December 2017 sub-round 3 : January - March 2018 sub-round 4 : April - June 2018

Objective of Survey on 'Household Social Consumption: Education' (Schedule 25.2): The main objective of the survey on “Household Social Consumption: Education” conducted by NSSO is to build indicators on participation of the persons in the education system, expenditure incurred on education of the household members and on various aspects of those currently not attending education (i.e., for the persons who never enrolled or who ever enrolled but currently not attending education). The surveys on ‘Household Social Consumption: Education’ conducted by NSSO covers both qualitative and quantitative aspects related to educational attainment of the household members and educational services used by them. Qualitative aspects include literacy, educational level attained, type of institution, nature of institution, current attendance/enrolment, whether received free education, reason for never enrolled/ever enrolled but currently not attending, etc. On quantitative aspects, information is collected on expenditure incurred/to be incurred on education of the household member by the household itself, by other households or by any institutions/organizations other than Government.

Geographic coverage

The survey cover's the whole of the Indian Union except except the villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which are difficult to access

Analysis unit

Randomly selected households based on sampling procedure and members of the household.

Universe

The survey used the interview method of data collection from a sample of randomly selected households and members of the household.

Sampling procedure

Sample Design 3.1 Outline of sample design: A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 75th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) are the Census villages (Panchayat wards for Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) are households in both the sectors. In the case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling is the selection of two hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each rural/ urban FSU. 3.2 Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2011 Population Census villages constitutes the sampling frame. However, for Kerala, the latest available updated list of Panchayat wards constitutes the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the latest available list of UFS blocks has been considered as the sampling frame. 3.3 Stratification: (a) Each district is a stratum. Within each district of a State/UT, generally speaking, two basic strata have been formed: (i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising of all the urban areas of the district. However, within the urban areas of a district, if there are one or more towns with population one million or more as per Census 2011, each of them formed as a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district have been considered as another basic stratum. (b) In the case of rural sectors of Nagaland another special stratum has been formed within the State consisting of all the villages which are difficult to access. 3.4 Sub-stratification: 3.4.1 Rural sector: If ‘r’ be the sample size allocated for a rural stratum, ‘r/4’ sub-strata are formed in that stratum. The villages within a stratum (district) as per frame are first arranged in ascending order of population. Then sub-strata 1 to ‘r/4’ have been demarcated in such a way that each substratum comprises a group of villages of the arranged frame and has more or less equal population. 3.4.2 Urban sector: Each urban stratum has been divided into two parts - ‘Affluent part’ consisting of UFS blocks identified as ‘Affluent Area’ and ‘Non-Affluent part’ consisting of the remaining UFS blocks within the stratum. Sample allocation of a stratum is then allocated to Affluent and Non-Affluent parts in proportion to total number of households in the UFS blocks with double weightage to Affluent part subject to a maximum of 8 FSUs in ‘Affluent part’ of any stratum. If ‘u’ be the sample size allocated for an urban stratum consisting of both affluent area UFS Blocks and non affluent area UFS Blocks. ‘u/4’ sub-strata are formed within each stratum. Out of these ‘u/4’ substrata, the first two sub-strata ‘01’ and ‘02’ are earmarked for those UFS blocks which are identified as ‘Affluent Area’ and the remaining sub-strata, ‘03’, ‘04’,…... and so on, are assigned to the nonaffluent UFS blocks. If any stratum does not have any Affluent Area UFS block then also the substratum number starts from ‘03’ for that stratum. For all strata, if u/4 >1, implying formation of 2 or more sub-strata, all the UFS blocks within the stratum are first arranged in ascending order of total number of households in the UFS Blocks as per the latest UFS phase. Then sub-strata 1 to ‘u/4’ are demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum has more or less equal number of households. This procedure has been done separately for Affluent-part and Non-Affluent part of the stratum (if two sub-strata are required to be formed in the Affluent part). The following three cases arise while doing the sub-stratification: i) If there is no ‘Affluent Area’ UFS block in the stratum, all the UFS blocks are divided into ‘u/4’ sub-strata and numbered as ‘03’, ‘04’, ….., ‘(u/4)+2’. ii) If only one sub-stratum is formed with the ‘Affluent Area’ UFS blocks, then all the remaining non-affluent blocks are divided into ‘(u-4)/4’ sub-strata and numbered as ‘03’, ‘04’, ….., ‘(u/4)+1’. iii) If two sub-strata are formed with the ‘Affluent Area’ blocks, then all the remaining non-affluent UFS blocks are divided into ‘(u-8)/4’ sub-strata and numbered as ‘03’, ‘04’, ….., ‘u/4’. 3.5 Total sample size (FSUs): 14300 FSUs have been allocated for the central sample at all-India level. For the state sample, there are 16492 FSUs allocated for all-India. 3.6 Allocation of total sample to States and UTs: The total number of sample FSUs has been allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to population as per Census 2011 subject to a minimum sample allocation to each State/UT. 3.7 Allocation of State/ UT level sample to rural and urban sectors: State/ UT level sample size has been allocated between two sectors in proportion to population as per Census 2011 with 1.5 weightage to urban sector depending on population share. A minimum of 16 FSUs (minimum 8 each for rural and urban sector separately) have been allocated to each State/ UT. 3.8 Allocation to strata: Within each sector of a State/ UT, the respective sample size has been allocated to the different strata in proportion to the population as per Census 2011. Stratum level allocation has been adjusted to multiples of 4 with a minimum sample size of 4. For special stratum formed in rural areas of Nagaland as discussed in para 3.3 (b), 12 FSUs have been allocated. 3.9 Allocation to sub-strata: Allocation for each sub-stratum has been made as 4 in both rural and urban sectors. 3.10 Selection of FSUs: 3.10.1 For the rural sector, from each stratum/sub-stratum, required number of sample villages has been selected by Probability Proportional to Size With Replacement (PPSWR), size being the population of the village as per Census 2011. 3.10.2 For the urban sector, from each stratum/sub-stratum, FSUs have been selected by Probability Proportional to Size With Replacement (PPSWR), size being the number of households of the UFS Block. Both rural and urban samples are drawn in the form of two independent sub-samples. 3.11 Selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks - important steps 3.11.1 Criterion for hamlet-group/ sub-block formation: After identification of the boundaries of the FSU, it is to be determined whether listing is to be done in the whole sample FSU or not. In case the approximate present population of the selected FSU is found to be 1200 or more, it is divided into a suitable number (say, D) of ‘hamlet-groups’ in the rural sector and ‘sub-blocks’ in the urban sector by more or less equalising the population as stated below. approximate present population of the sample FSU no. of hgs/sbs formed less than 1200 (no hamlet-group/sub-block) 1 1200 to 1799 3 1800 to 2399 4 2400 to 2999 5 3000 to 3599 6 …...and so on - For rural areas of Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Uttarakhand (except four districts Dehradun, Nainital, Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar), Punch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Ladakh region (Leh and Kargil districts) of Jammu and Kashmir and Idukki district of Kerala, the number of hamlet-groups to be formed as

This dataset presents national-level literacy rates, compiled from multiple official sources, including the National Sample Survey (NSS), Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), Population Census, National Family Health Survey (NFHS), and data published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

It provides literacy rates disaggregated by gender, region (urban and rural), and age group. The inclusion of age groups is essential, as the criteria for calculating literacy rates have changed over time. To allow consistent comparisons across sources and years, an ‘age group’ column is included in the dataset. In general, literacy is assessed based on whether a person above a specified age can read and write a simple message with understanding in at least one language. The age specified as per these sources is as follows:

Census: Population aged 7 years and above (used since 1981; previously, it was 5 years and above). Data is available for 1951, 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011 NSS: Population aged 5 years and above. Data is available for 2005, 2007-08, 2010, 2011-12, 2014, and 2017-18 PLFS: Survey typically covers population aged 15 years and above, but literacy data is also available for 5 years and above and 7 years and above. Data is available for 2017-18 to 2023-24. NFHS: Covers population aged 15–49 years only. Literacy rate refers to women and men who have completed standard 6, 9, or higher, or those who can read a full or partial sentence among individuals assumed to be literate. Data is available for 2005-06, 2015-16, and 2019-21. MoSPI: Follows the NSS age criteria, usually 5 years and above. Data is available for 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2011

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

households/individuals

Kind of data

survey

Frequency of data collection

Yearly

Sampling procedure

Sample size:

Abstract

Objective of the consumer expenditure survey (CES): Firstly, as an indicator of level of living, monthly per capita expenditure (MPCE) is both simple and universally applicable. Average MPCE of any sub-population of the country (any region or population group) is a single number that summarises the level of living of that population. It is supplemented by the distribution of MPCE, which highlights the differences in level of living of the different parts of the population. More detailed analysis of the distribution of MPCE reveals the proportion and absolute numbers of the poor with respect to a given poverty line. A welfare state has to take note of these numbers in allocating its resources among sectors, regions, and socio-economic groups. The distribution of MPCE can also be used to measure the level of inequality, or the degree to which consumer expenditure is concentrated in a small proportion of households or persons, and this can be done without any predetermined poverty line or welfare norms.

If socialism was the ideal of the 1950's, the ideal of policy-makers during the last decade was "inclusive growth". Increasingly, inclusive growth is seen as the all-important target that we should aim at, at least for the immediate future. Not surprisingly, the NSS CES is being used by scholars as a searchlight focused on the country's development process that shows up just how inclusive the country's growth has been.

Since the data is collected not only on consumption level but also on the pattern of consumption, the CES has another important use. To work out consumer price indices (CPIs) which measure the general rise in consumer prices, one needs to know not only the price rise for each commodity group but also the budget shares of different commodity groups (used as weights). The budget shares as revealed by the NSS CES are being used for a long time to prepare what is called the weighing diagram for official compilation of CPIs. More extensive use of NSS CES data is planned to have a weighing diagram that uses a finer commodity classification, to prepare rural and urban CPIs separately for each State.

Apart from these major uses of the CES, the food (quantity) consumption data are used to study the level of nutrition of different regions, and disparities therein. Further, the budget shares of a commodity at different MPCE levels are used by economists and market researchers to determine the elasticity (responsiveness) of demand to income increases.

Two types of Schedule 1.0 viz. Schedule Type 1 and Schedule Type 2 was canvassed in this round. Schedule Type 1 and Type 2 are similar to those of NSS 66th round.

Reference period and schedule type: The reference period is the period of time to which the information collected relates. In NSS surveys, the reference period often varies from item to item. Data collected with different reference periods are known to exhibit certain systematic differences. Strictly speaking, therefore, comparisons should be made only among estimates based on data collected with identical reference period systems. In the 68th round - as in the 66th round -two schedule types have been drawn up. The two schedule types differonly in respect of reference period. Sample households were divided into two sets: Schedule Type 1 was canvassed in one set and Schedule Type 2 in the other.

Schedule Type 1 uses the same reference period system as Schedule Type 1 of NSS 66th round. Schedule Type 1 requires that for certain items (Clothing, bedding, footwear, education, medical (institutional), durable goods), the same household should report data for two reference periods - 'Last 30 days' and 'Last 365 days'. Schedule Type 2 has the same reference periods as Schedule Type 2 of NSS 66th round. For Group I items (Clothing, bedding, footwear, education, medical (institutional), durable goods), the reference period used in Schedule Type 2 is 'Last 365 days'.

As in the 66th round, items of food, pan, tobacco and intoxicants (Food-plus category) are split into 2 blocks - 5.1 and 5.2 - instead of being placed in a single block. • Block 5.1 consists of the item groups cereals, pulses, milk and milk products, sugar and salt. This block has a reference period of 30 days in both Schedule Type 1 and Schedule Type 2. • Block 5.2 consists of the other items of food, along with pan, tobacco and intoxicants. This block is assigned a reference period of 'Last 30 days' in Schedule Type 1 and a reference period of 'Last 7 days' in Schedule Type 2.

Thus Schedule Type 1, like Schedule 1.0 of NSS 66th round, uses the 'Last 30 days' reference period for all items of food, and for pan, tobacco and intoxicants.

Geographic coverage

The survey covers the whole of the Indian Union except (i) interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five kilometres of the bus route and (ii) villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sample design

Outline of sample design: A stratified multi-stage design has been adopted for the 68th round survey. The first stage units (FSU) are the 2001 census villages (Panchayat wards in case of Kerala) in the rural sector and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks in the urban sector. The ultimate stage units (USU) are households in both the sectors. In case of large FSUs, one intermediate stage of sampling is the selection of two hamlet-groups (hgs)/ sub-blocks (sbs) from each rural/ urban FSU.

Sampling Frame for First Stage Units: For the rural sector, the list of 2001 census villages (henceforth the term 'village' would include also Panchayat wards for Kerala) constitutes the sampling frame. For the urban sector, the list of UFS blocks (2007-12) is considered as the sampling frame.

Stratification: Within each district of a State/ UT, generally speaking, two basic strata have been formed: i) rural stratum comprising of all rural areas of the district and (ii) urban stratum comprising of all the urban areas of the district. However, within the urban areas of a district, if there are one or more towns with population 10 lakhs or more as per population census 2001 in a district, each of them forms a separate basic stratum and the remaining urban areas of the district are considered as another basic stratum.

Sub-stratification: Rural sector r: If 'r' be the sample size allocated for a rural stratum, the number of sub-strata formed would be 'r/4'. The villages within a district as per frame were first arranged in ascending order of population. Then sub-strata 1 to 'r/4' have been demarcated in such a way that each sub-stratum comprised a group of villages of the arranged frame and have more or less equal population. Urban sector: If 'u' be the sample size for an urban stratum, 'u/4' number of sub-strata have been formed. In case u/4 is more than 1, implying formation of 2 or more sub-strata, this is done by first arranging the towns in ascending order of total number of households in the town as per UFS phase 2007-12 and then arranging the IV units of each town and blocks within each IV unit in ascending order of their numbers. From this arranged frame of UFS blocks of all the towns/million plus city of a stratum, 'u/4' number of sub- strata formed in such a way that each sub-stratum has more or less equal number of households as per UFS 2007-12.

Total sample size (FSUs): 12784 FSUs have been allocated for the central sample at all-India level and 14772 FSUs have been allocated for state sample.

Allocation of total sample to States and UTs: The total number of sample FSUs has allocated to the States and UTs in proportion to population as per census 2001 subject to a minimum sample allocation to each State/ UT. While doing so, the resource availability in terms of number of field investigators has been kept in view.

Allocation of State/ UT level sample to rural and urban sectors: State/ UT level sample size has been allocated between two sectors in proportion to population as per census 2001 with double weightage to urban sector. However, if such weighted allocation resulted in too high sample size for the urban sector, the allocation for bigger states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, etc. was restricted to that of the rural sector. A minimum of 16 FSUs (minimum 8 each for rural and urban sector separately) is allocated to each state/ UT.

Allocation to strata/ sub-strata: Within each sector of a State/ UT, the respective sample size has been allocated to the different strata/ sub-strata in proportion to the population as per census 2001. Allocations at stratum level are adjusted to multiples of 4 with a minimum sample size of 4. Allocation for each sub-stratum is 4. Equal number of samples has been allocated among the four sub-rounds.

Selection of FSUs: For the rural sector, from each stratum/ sub-stratum, required number of sample villages has been selected by probability proportional to size with replacement (PPSWR), size being the population of the village as per Census 2001. For the urban sector, UFS 2007-12 phase has been used for all towns and cities and FSUs have been selected from each stratum/sub-stratum by using Simple Random Sampling Without Replacement (SRSWOR). Both rural and urban samples are to be drawn in the form of two independent sub-samples and equal number of samples have been allocated among the four sub rounds.

Selection of hamlet-groups/ sub-blocks - important steps

Criterion for hamlet-group/ sub-block formation: After identification of the boundaries of the FSU, it is first determined whether listing is to be done in the whole sample FSU or not. In case the population of the selected FSU is found to be 1200 or more, it has to be divided into a suitable number (say, D) of 'hamlet-groups' in the rural