Looking into the Thali, not for calories but price

The Economic Survey introduced a new metric for the common man— ‘thalinomics’ or economics of a plate of food—to guage price inflation and affordability. While the Economic Advisor focused on the moderation of price of Thali since 2015-16, he overlooked the fact that the price has picked up pace in 2019-20 with the upward movement in Consumer Price Index.

The survey found that the price of veg thalis have improved 29 per cent from 2006-07 to 201920 and that of non-vegetarian Thalis by 18 per cent. As a result, an average household of five individuals that eats two vegetarian Thalis a day, gained around Rs 10,887, on average per year, while a non-vegetarian household gained Rs 11,787. The Economic Advisor also mentioned that the affordability of the common man has improved since 2006-07.

The conclusion has been drawn on the basis of an attempt to quantify what a common person pays for a Thali, which includes cereals, pulses, vegetables and spices. Price data from the Consumer Price Index for industrial workers for around 80 centres in 25 states and UTs from April 2006 to October 2019 has been used for the study.

The survey has considered 2015-16 as a year when there was a shift in the dynamics of Thali prices. Many reform measures were introduced since 2014-15 to enhance the productivity of the agricultural sector, but the Thali price, after decreasing significantly since 2015-16, increased in 2019.