Nothing relevant in Economy in the newspapers these days. So focus on your static portion and revision. Economy MCQs will be released around mid Feb.

National Sample Survey (NSS) is conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO) in annual rounds with a cycle of rotating topics. The Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES), generally comes after every five years (quinquennial) during these annual rounds of NSS. But NSO decided to conduct two consecutive surveys on Household Consumption Expenditure (HCE) during 2022-23 and 2023-24, once situation normalized after the Covid-19 pandemic.

HCES generates estimates of household Monthly Per Capita Consumer Expenditure (MPCE) and the distribution of households and persons over the MPCE classes. It is designed to collect information regarding expenditure on consumption of goods and services (food and non-food) consumed by households. The results, after release, are also used for:

1) Rebasing/base revision of the GDP
2) Base revision of the CPI (i.e. weights of various items in CPI),
3) Measuring estimates of poverty levels; and
4) Other macro-economic indicators

Following is the result of the two recent HCE survey on Monthly Per Capita Consumer Expenditure (MPCE).

Source: PIB
1. The average MPCE in rural and urban India in 2023-24 has been estimated to be Rs. 4,122 and Rs. 6,996, respectively without taking into account of the values of items received free of cost by the households through various social welfare programmes.

2. The urban-rural gap in MPCE has declined to 71% in 2022-23 from 84% in 2011-12. It has further come down to 70% in 2023-24 that confirms sustained momentum of consumption growth in rural areas.

3. Consumption inequality, both in rural and urban areas has declined from the level of 2022-23. The Gini coefficient has declined to 0.237 in 2023-24 from 0.266 in 2022-23 for rural areas and to 0.284 in 2023-24 from 0.314 in 2022-23 for urban areas.

Term of the Day:

Front Running:
Front running is an unethical trading practice where a broker or trader uses advance knowledge of pending large orders of clients to trade ahead of them for personal profit. They execute personal trades before processing clients’ orders, taking advantage of expected price movements.

For example, Lets say a broker gets an order from a major client to buy 500,000 shares of XYZ Co. Such a huge purchase is bound to drive up the price of the stock immediately, at least in the short term. The broker sets aside the request for a minute and first buys some XYZ stock for his/her own personal portfolio. Then the client's order is executed. The broker immediately sells the XYZ shares and pockets a profit.

Front-running is commonly confused with insider trading, but they are distinct. Insider trading refers to a company insider who trades on advanced knowledge of corporate activities—for example, using their insider knowledge to buy or sell shares ahead of a major announcement.

Important Information

This is to inform you all that I along with Saurabh sir (Polity) have left Unacademy and Joined PW. Those students who have already taken admission in Unacademy (because of us) and whose classes are pending there....we will try to find a solution (in the next few days) so that student's don't suffer. Rest you are free to exercise your rights.

Thanks and Regards
Vivek Singh

The Indian Economy भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था Hindi medium Book targeting 2025 UPSC exam link is:

https://dl.flipkart.com/s/1aNkHdNNNN

https://amzn.in/d/9nU7P4q

ECO MCQ targeting 2025 UPSC exam will be released by mid Feb which will include budget and economic survey.

Just for information/clarification:

Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF):
The LAF refers to the Reserve Bank's operations through which it injects/absorbs liquidity into/from the banking system. It consists of overnight as well as term repo/reverse repos (fixed as well as variable rates), SDF and MSF. Apart from LAF, instruments of liquidity management include outright open market operations (OMOs), forex swaps and market stabilisation scheme (MSS).

Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) comes under LAF.

MSF and LAF facility is available for all Scheduled Commercial Banks except Regional Rural Banks.

If an industry is granted 'Infrastructure Status', it can avail the following benefits:

1. Access to loans at easier terms, enhanced limits
2.Access to larger amount of funds as External Commercial Borrowing (ECB)
3. Access to longer tenor funds from insurance firms and pension funds
4. Eligible to borrow from India Infrastructure Financing Company Ltd. (IIFCL) a Govt. company.

Government is considering granting a long standing demand from maritime industry (ship building) - infrastructure status in the coming budget.

This is to inform you all that I have joined PW IAS and not taking any classes at Unacademy.

I will be taking a live class on the Budget 2025-26 today @4pm.
https://www.youtube.com/live/u1qDgmVZbtk?si=ewfP5IAvhthuV8Ef

ECO MCQ 450 will be released around mid Feb

New Income-Tax Bill
The Union Cabinet yesterday cleared the new income-tax bill which will be introduced in the parliament today (to replace the six decade old Income Tax Act 1961).

The aim is to make the language and implementation of the income tax legislation simpler for taxpayers. Finance Secretary said that the new income-tax bill will not have long sentences, provisos and explanations and will mark a different way of engagement with citizens, with no aim to put any new tax burden. The new bill will be clear and direct in text with close to half of the present law, in terms of both chapters and words. It will be simple to understand for taxpayers and tax administration, leading to tax certainty and reduced litigation.

The tax changes which have been announced in the budget 2025-26 could have been introduced just by amending the Income Tax Act 1961 and there was no need to bring the new bill. But the purpose is not just to change tax rates rather simplification of the income tax law. Of course the announcements that were made in the budget regarding income tax changes (like no tax till Rs. 12 lac income and slab rate changes and TDS) will also be reflected in the new bill.

The latest (8th) edition of my Indian Economy book is available in the market for 2025/2026 UPSC exam.
The link for the same is given below.

https://dl.flipkart.com/s/i9u89qNNNN

https://rb.gy/c373d0

What is a Micro Financial Institution (MFI)?

Micro Finance Institution (MFI) is a non-deposit taking NBFC (Non Banking Financial Company) having not less than 85% of its assets in the nature of qualifying assets which satisfy the following criteria:

a. loan disbursed by an NBFC-MFI to a borrower with a rural household annual income not exceeding ₹ 1.25 lakh or urban and semi-urban household income not exceeding ₹ 2 lakh

b. Maximum loan amount could be Rs. 1.25 lakh

c. tenure of the loan not to be less than 24 months (for loan amount in excess of ₹ 15,000) with prepayment without penalty

d. loan to be extended without collateral

What is a Microfinance Loan?

A microfinance loan is defined as a collateral-free loan given to a household having annual household income up to ₹3,00,000. For this purpose, the household shall mean an individual family unit, i.e., husband, wife and their unmarried children.

All collateral-free loans, irrespective of end use and mode (either through physical or digital channels), provided to low-income households, i.e., households having annual income up to ₹3,00,000, shall be considered as microfinance loans.

India-US Trade Statistics.
India is a net exporter to US

ECO MCQ will be released in a week