Pattern of consumption expenditure on food items in India: An analysis for BPL and APL households

Developmental policy making envisages studying the expenditure pattern particularly that of food to enable decision making on the required welfare interventions like subsidy, food for work programmes etc. This paper analyses the per capita budget share offood and food group-wise consumption expenditure pattern of different categories of households in general and with special focus on the difference that exists between the APL and BPL households. The findings of the study which is based on the data of the last 3 quinquennial rounds of Consumer Expenditure Surveys conducted by National Sample Survey during 2004–05, 200910 and 2011–12, reveal that the per capita budget share of food items has decreased for all categories of households, however, the same remain at concernable levels particularly for the rural and BPL households. Noticeable differences still exist in terms of pattern ofconsumption expenditure on different food groups in rural and urban areas and APL and BPL households.