1104 PONTIFICIAE ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARVM SCRIPTA VARIA - 28
cess of implementation of an economic plan. The word ‘target’
would be used consistently in this sense.
Objects of planning in India: The ultimate objects of
planning are to improve the level of living, and expand facilities
for education, care of health, cultural amenities gtc.
for all the people of the country. A spectacular improvement
in the level of living of the advanced countries has been possible
in the past, and a similar improvement would be possible
in the less advanced areas in future, only through a continuing
increase in the per capita production of all the people of the
country. Such increase in per capita production can be attained
only through a continuing substitution of human and animal
power by machines, driven by steam or by electricity, for
productive purpose of all kinds including industry, agriculture,
rransport and distribution.
Changes in the level of living: As our chief concern is
with the improvement of the level of living, a continuing National
Sample Survey was started in India in 1950 which is
collecting comprehensive information on various aspects of
the level of living in rural and urban areas with a view to
assessing the change over time. The total per capita expenditure
per month on all consumer goods and services of each
household has been used as a rough indicator of the level of
living of the household. The method of fractile graphical
analysis (!) has been used to study the distribution by size of
total per capita expenditure per month of households. Studies
are also being made of the relationship between the total per
capita consumer expenditure and the per capita consumption of
individual items in terms of money and also in physical quan-‘ities
where possible.
À study of the distribution of per capita total consumption
expenditure by decile groups of households (arranged in ascend-(')
See A method of fractile graphical analysis, « Econometrica », vol. 28,
PP. 325-351, 1960; also A preliminary note on the consumption of cereals in
India, « Bulletin of the International Statistical Institute ». vol. 38, pp. 53-76,
1062.
15] Mahalanobis II - pag. 2
