Kerala’s Labour Department is preparing to roll out a comprehensive family budget survey in 2025-26. This vital initiative aims to precisely determine the cost of living for both agricultural and industrial worker households across the state.
According to Labour Minister V. Sivankutty, the insights gathered from this survey will form a critical database. This data will be instrumental in regularly updating Kerala’s consumer price index, ensuring it accurately reflects the year-on-year inflation rate.
The core objective of the survey is to equip the government with up-to-date, precise information. This will enable timely revisions of basic pay for industrial and agricultural workers, guaranteeing that their wages are adjusted for the cost of living and effectively cushioning them from the adverse effects of inflation.
Minister Sivankutty also announced the formation of a 21-member Consumer Price Index Revision Committee. This committee, comprising representatives from workers, employees, government officials, and financial experts, will oversee the entire family budget survey process.
The ambitious survey plans to gather data from 7,920 working-class families throughout the state. To facilitate this, the government has already recruited 21 enumerators via the Employment Exchange.
These enumerators have received specialized training in market survey techniques, including how to accurately record the current prices of essential groceries and provisions. Minister Sivankutty is scheduled to officially inaugurate this important program on October 16 at the Thycaud PWD Rest House, with MLA Antony Raju presiding over the ceremony.