India’s Thalinomics: Odisha’s Thali Costlier Among Affordable Ones In Eastern Region, Says Economic Survey

India’s ubiquitous ‘thali’ has become more affordable over the years. The Economic Survey 2019-20, which for the first time has devoted a chapter on Thalinomics, presented in Parliament on Friday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman states that the affordability of vegetarian thalis has improved over time.

Among the eastern states, Odisha is among the costliest in the region, especially when it comes to the non-vegetarian thali, after Assam, while Jharkhand is the cheapest.

A vegetarian thali in Odisha cost around Rs 27 during the period April-October 2019, while in other eastern states it was in the range of Rs 20-25.

The survey further reveals that compared to Jharkhand, where a daily wager has to spend 25 percent of his wage to buy two thalis for a family of five every day, in Odisha, a daily wager shells out nearly 40 per cent for the same.

A non-vegetarian thali during the period April-October 2019 in Odisha was Rs 38. It was cheaper in all other states, except Assam.

The Economic-Survey 2019-20 has added this new chapter of Thalinomics stating that what better way to make economics relate to the common person than something that s(he) encounters every day – a plate of food, the Survey used the dietary guidelines for Indians (NIN, 2011) to construct the price of thalis.

The absolute prices of a thali reduced significantly since 2015-16 though the price has increased in 2019.  This is due to a sharp fall in the prices of vegetables and dal in contrast to the previous trend of increasing prices in the time period, the survey added. “An average household of five individuals, who eat two vegetarian thalis in a day, gained around Rs 10887, on an average per year, while a non-vegetarian household gained Rs 11787, on an average per year,” the survey said.