This book maps the earning, spending, and saving profiles of Indians in the post-liberalization era. It studies how socioeconomic, religious, and individual characteristics lead to inequality in the incomes of households. Among other problematic aspects, it reveals that while a household s income is primarily dependent on socioeconomic factors (occupation, education and the age of its chief earner), its economic prosperity is affected by factors such as its spending and saving levels, sectors of employment of members, and state of residence.
The book is based on the results of the National Survey of Household Income and Expenditure (NSHIE) 2004 05, conducted under the aegis of the National Council for Applied Economics Research (NCAER).