West Bengal Leads With 40% Households Rising From Welfare Schemes, Study Finds

West Bengal recorded the highest share of households whose living standards rose due to government welfare schemes, with 40.5% of its residents moving up a consumption class, a new Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) study shows. Chhattisgarh follows at 29.2%, Assam at 29%, and Karnataka at 28.4%, making West Bengal the clear leader among major states. The paper, titled "Impact of in-kind social transfers on Indian household living standards", estimates that around 22 crore people across the country experienced an uplift, equivalent to 15.8% of the population. Researchers used the 2022‑23 Household Consumption Expenditure Survey and added the estimated market value of free or subsidised items such as food grains, laptops, bicycles and school uniforms to household spending. The value of free medical care under the PM Jan Arogya Yojana and free education was not included, which the authors note would have further boosted the figures for poorer households. When a household’s per‑capita consumption moves into a higher fractile class after accounting for these transfers, it signals that the intended benefits reached the target families. The study was authored by Amitava Saha, Deputy Director General of the NSO’s Household Survey Division, and Gopal Saha, Deputy Director of the Field Operations Division. According to the survey, the average rural family’s monthly expenditure rises from Rs 3,773 to Rs 3,860 with the added value of transfers, while urban spending climbs from Rs 6,459 to Rs 6,521. Rural areas saw 18.8% of residents improve their living level versus 8.4% in urban areas; upward movement ranged from 4‑33% in villages and 1‑22% in cities, with the biggest gains among the lowest three consumption brackets.

Context

In‑kind transfers are goods provided free or at a reduced price to low‑income families, aimed at reducing poverty. Measuring their monetary value lets policymakers see how effectively schemes such as food‑grain distribution or school‑uniform grants lift household consumption.