Patiala, September 3, 2026: Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (TIET), Patiala has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, to undertake a research study on the development of a Predictive and Analytical Framework for Monthly Consumption Expenditures in India. The MoU reflects the growing collaboration between MoSPI and academic institutions and marks yet another initiative on the innovative use of artificial intelligence in official statistics.
The MoU was signed by Prof. Padmakumar Nair, Vice Chancellor, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, and Shri R. Rajesh, Additional Director General, Capacity Development Division, MoSPI. The signing ceremony was graced by Dr. Saurabh Garg, Secretary, MoSPI, in the presence of Dr. Chandramani Sharma, Additional Director General, Coordination and Quality Control Division, and Dr. Sourav Chakrabortty, Deputy Director General, Research and Analysis Division, MoSPI.
Under the collaboration, TIET researchers will work with MoSPI to leverage Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) data to estimate Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) at national and state levels, analyse household consumption patterns, and generate evidence for poverty estimation and broader economic planning.
The study comes at a moment when household consumption has never mattered more to the Indian economy. As per the Economic Survey 2025-26 tabled in Parliament, the share of private final consumption expenditure in GDP rose to 61.5 percent in FY26, its highest level since 2011-12, with domestic demand driving India’s 7.4 percent growth estimate for the year. Understanding how Indian households spend, and being able to anticipate it, sits at the heart of economic policymaking.
The framework will build on one of India’s largest household datasets. As per the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24, which covered over 2.61 lakh households across the country, average monthly per capita consumption expenditure stood at Rs 4,122 in rural India and Rs 6,996 in urban India. This data feeds directly into how the country measures poverty, tracks inequality and updates the Consumer Price Index. Since such surveys are conducted periodically, a predictive and analytical framework can strengthen the evidence available to policymakers between survey rounds.
Prof. Padmakumar Nair, Vice Chancellor, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, said, “Official statistics are the quiet foundation on which a nation plans for its people, from poverty estimation to price indices, and it is a privilege for Thapar Institute to bring its research capability to that foundation. Having spent my career at the intersection of engineering, data and human systems, I believe the most meaningful research is the kind that improves how decisions are made for society. Our faculty and researchers will approach this study with the rigour it deserves, and we are grateful to MoSPI for its trust in the institute.”
The study draws on TIET’s growing strength in artificial intelligence and data science, anchored by the Thapar School of Advanced AI and Data Science established in collaboration with NVIDIA, and reflects the institute’s positioning as a research led interdisciplinary university.
About Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology: Established in 1956, Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala is one of India’s oldest and most respected private engineering institutions, marking 70 years of academic excellence. The institute is NAAC A++ accredited and ranked 26th among universities and 29th in engineering in the NIRF 2025 rankings, with over 13,000 students across its 250 acre campus.
