SEMAINE D'ÉTUDE SUR LE ROLE DE L’ANALYSE ECONOMETRIQUE ETC. 1105 
ing order of the total per capita consumer expenditure in each 
household), shows that for the data collected in the National 
Sample Survey Round 8 (covering the period July 1954-March 
1955), the percentage share of the lowest decile group was 3.01 
in rural areas and 2.65 in urban areas, and of the second 
lowest decile group (between the tenth and the twentieth per- 
centiles of households ranked by per capita expenditure) was 
4.09 and 3.90 for rural and urban areas respectively. For 
purposes of perspective planning, four per cent may be used 
as the share of the second lowest decile group of households (?) 
Targets of planning: The average per capita expenditure 
in the second lowest decile group was a little over Rs. 10 per 
month (*) in 1960-61. For purposes of illustration, it is pos- 
sible to adopt a target of raising, over a period of 1 5 years, 
the average per capita consumption expenditure in the second 
lowest decile group of households from Rs. 10 to Rs. 20 
per month (or fifty dollars per capita per year). This amount, 
at 1960-61 prices, would provide only a very modest level of 
living in terms of food, clothing and other essential goods or 
services and amenities. 
Doubling the per capita expenditure in fifteen years implies 
a rate of growth of nearly five per cent per capita per year. 
[t is of interest to note in the present connexion that the per 
capita income in USA has increased sevenfold in the cours ot 
[20 years or at a rate a little over 1.69, per capita per year. 
A reasonable target of planning in India would thus call for 
a rate of increase of income at a rate nearly three times greater 
than the actual rate of increase attained in the USA during 
the last 120 years. The above comparison would supply a 
rough idea of the dimension of the efforts required for economic 
development in India. 
(*) The lowest decile group has not been used because it may be a so- 
newhat heterogeneous category comprising vagrants, persons living in isola- 
ton, tribal people, households in a transient income group etc. many 
vhom would require special ameliorative measures. 
* One rupee = 1 shilling 6 pence — 0.21 U. S, cent approximately 
3) 
151 
Mahalanobis II - pag.