The average monthly income per agricultural household from all sources is less than Rs. 6,500, said Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday. In a written reply to question posed by BJP MP from Dausa Kirodi Lal Meena, Tomar said, “The latest available estimates of average income per agricultural household in the country are based on the Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households conducted by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) during its 70th round (January 2013-December 2013). As per the survey results, the average monthly income per agricultural household from all sources is estimated to be Rs. 6,426.” Tomar said that the NSSO, which is a nodal agency or conducting surveys and collecting data, has not conducted any survey on income per agricultural household since 2013. While replying to a question that if no survey is done, how does the government claim that the income of the farmers has increased or is increasing, Tomar said the government had constituted an inter-ministerial Committee in April 2016 to examine the issues relating to doubling of farmers’ income and recommend strategies to achieve the same. “The Committee has submitted its Report to the Government in September 2018. As per the available reports, the Committee has considered the estimates of agricultural households income obtained from NSSO 70th round unit-level data as the base level income. The Committee has kept 2015-16 as the base year and derived income for the base year at both current and constant prices for major states and major size-classes,” he added.
