Why in news?
The National Statistical Office (NSO) announced that it will conduct two important surveys between July 2026 and June 2027: the All India Debt and Investment Survey (AIDIS) and the Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) of agricultural households.
What are these surveys?
- AIDIS: India’s flagship household finance survey began as the All India Rural Credit Survey in 1951–52 and expanded in 1961–62 to include investments and urban households. It measures levels of debt, assets and investment across rural and urban India.
- SAS: Launched in 2003, this survey assesses the income, expenditure and indebtedness of farming households. It collects data on crop and livestock production, access to government schemes and credit.
Purpose and features
- Policy inputs: Both surveys provide vital data to the Reserve Bank of India, NITI Aayog and line ministries to design credit, investment and agricultural policies.
- Coverage: AIDIS covers both institutional and non‑institutional credit sources, offering disaggregated data by state, sector and income group. SAS includes landless households engaged in farming and tracks access to crop insurance and technology.
- Decadal frequency: AIDIS is typically conducted every ten years; the last round in 2019 was prompted by RBI. The surveys’ findings influence programmes on financial inclusion, asset creation and rural development.