New Delhi

Various policies and programmes implemented by the Centre have been successful in reducing the disparity in expenditure and living standards between rural and urban areas, which is reflected in the household consumption expenditure surveys carried out by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI), according to information tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

The sustained momentum in rural consumption in India continues with the urban-rural gap narrowing down further in 2023-24 from the level of 2022-23 across all states and UTs, according to the household consumption survey.

The programmes that have been successful in reducing the rural-urban gap include the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY) and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), Minister of State for MOSPI Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply.

The urban-rural gap in the monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) has declined to 71 per cent in 2022-23 from 84 per cent in 2011-12.

It has further come down to 70 per cent in 2023-24 that confirms sustained momentum of consumption growth in rural areas, the survey states.

The average MPCE in rural and urban India in 2023-24 has been estimated to be Rs. 4,122 and Rs. 6,996, respectively, without taking into account the values of items received free of cost by the households through various social welfare programmes.

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Considering the imputed values of items received free of cost through various social welfare programmes, these estimates become Rs. 4,247 and Rs. 7,078 respectively, for rural and urban areas, the survey points out.

In nominal prices, the average MPCE (without imputation) in 2023-24 increases by about 9 per cent in rural areas and 8 per cent in urban areas from the level of 2022-23, the survey shows.