Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will table the Economic Survey for 2021-22 today, January 31, in the Lok Sabha. The Economic Survey will be presented in the Lok Sabha after the president’s address to both houses of Parliament. The Economic Survey is released a day before the Union Budget is presented in Parliament.

This year’s Economic Survey is expected to predict a growth rate of around 9 percent for the next fiscal year, FY22-23. Last year, the Economic Survey for 2020-21 predicted that the current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2022, will see a GDP growth of 11 percent.

What is the Economic Survey?

The Economic Survey is a financial document that is presented annually to review the economic development in the country over the past financial year. The survey provides detailed statistical data of all the sectors including agricultural, industrial, employment, industrial production, exports, prices, among others. Besides this, it also evaluates changes in other areas of the Indian economy, such as the money supply and foreign exchange reserves.

The Economic Survey is divided into two parts- Volume 1 and Volume 2. Volume 1 is about the economic challenges that the country is facing whereas Volume 2 gives an analysis of the previous fiscal year.

Who prepares the Economic Survey?

The Economic Survey is prepared by the Economics Division of the Department of Economic Affairs of the Finance Ministry under the overall guidance of the Chief Economic Adviser (CEA). It is only released after it is approved by the Finance Minister.

What changes India will witness in this year’s Economic Survey?

CEA generally prepares the document but this year’s Economic Survey has been prepared by the principal economic adviser and other officials as the post remained vacant following Krishnamurthy Subramaniam’s term that ended in December. This will be the first Economic Survey to be presented by V Anantha Nageswaran. The government has appointed economist V Anantha Nageswaran as the next CEA just days before the release of the Economic Survey.

This year the Economic Survey is likely to be presented in a single volume. Volume 1 which tells about the economic challenges that the country is facing may not be presented in Parliament today. Volume 2 contains a sectoral analysis of the economy of the previous fiscal year that will be tabled today at 3:45 pm.

What is the significance of the Economic Survey?

Union Ministry of Finance presents the Economic Survey every year. The Economic Survey is regarded as the flagship annual document of the Finance Ministry that provides a summary of all the economic development across the country that happened in a particular financial year. It not only examines the country’s macroeconomic status over the prior fiscal year but also provides an outline for the upcoming fiscal year.

Why Economic Survey is presented a day before Union Budget and not on the same day?

Economic Survey maps out a roadmap for India’s economy going into the next financial year. The reason for presenting an Economic Survey is to review the overall economic performance of the country during the year in order to give a better understanding of the Union Budget.

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The survey is largely used to determine the country’s priorities for the coming fiscal year, as well as which sectors in the Union Budget require additional focus. In 1964, the Economic Survey was separated from the Budget and released ahead of time to provide a context of the latter.

When was the first Economic Survey of India presented?

In 1950-51, the first Economic Survey was presented. It was introduced with the Union Budget up to 1964. From 1964 onwards, it has separated from the Union Budget and presented a day before.