India - Household Consumer Expenditure, July 1987 - June 1988, NSS 43rd Round

The survey will have a two-stage stratified design. The first stage units (f.s.u.s) or villages in the rural sector and urban blocks in the urban sector. The second stage units are households in both the sectors.

Sampling frame for f.s.u.'s : The lists of 1981 census villages constitute the sampling frame for rural sector in most districts. But the 1981 census frame could not be used for a few districts because, either the 1981 census was not held there or the list of 1981 census villages could not be obtained or the lists obtained from the census authorities were found to be grossly incomplete. In such cases 1971 census frame have been used. In the urban sector , the Urban Frame Survey (U.F.S.) blocks constitute the sampling frame.

Stratification : States are first divided into agro-economic regions which are groups of contiguous districts , similar with respect to population density and crop pattern. In Gujarat, however, some districts have been split for the purpose of region formation In consideration of the location of dry areas and the distribution of the tribal population in the state.

RURAL SECTOR: In the rural sector, within each region, each district with 1981 Census rural population less 1.8 million forms a single stratum. Districts with larger population were divided into two or more strata, depending on population, by grouping contiguous tehsils similar, as for as possible, in respect of rural population Density and crop pattern. (In Gujarat, however, in the case of districts extending over more than one region, even if the rural population was less than 1.8 million, the portion of a district falling in each region constituted a separate stratum. Further, in Assam the old “basic strata” formed on the basis of 1971 census rural population exactly in the above manner, but with cut-off population as 1.5 million have been retained as the strata for rural sampling).

URBAN SECTOR : In the urban sector , strata are formed , again within NSS region , on the basis of the population size class of towns . Each city with population 10 lakhs or more is self-representative, as in the earlier rounds. For the purpose of stratification, in towns with 1981 census population 4 lakhs or more , the blocks have been divided into two categories, viz . - One consisting of blocks in areas inhabited by the relatively affluent section of the population and the other consisting of the remaining blocks.

Allocation for first stage units : The total all-India sample size has been allocated to the states /U.T.'s proportionate to the strength of central field staff. This was allocated to the rural and urban sectors considering the relative size of the rural and urban population. Now the rural samples were allocated to the rural strata in proportion to rural population. The urban samples were allocated to the urban strata in proportion to urban population with double weight age given to those strata of towns with population 4 lakhs or more which lie in area inhabited by the relatively affluent section.

Selection of f.s.u.'s : The sample villages have been selected circular systematically with probability proportional to population in the form of two independent interpenetrating sub-samples (IPNS) . The sample blocks have been selected circular systematically with equal probability, also in the form of two IPNS's.

Sample size ( central sample ) : The all India sample in respect of the central sample consists of 8518 villages and 4648 blocks.

Sample size (state sample) : All the states and Union Territories except Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh , Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep are participating in this round at least on an equal matching basis.


There was no deviation from the original sampling design.


One weight, i.e., Multiplier has been provided in each file in the data set.