What is Economic Survey

The Economic Survey is nothing but an annual document prepared by advisers to the finance minister and tabled in the Parliament a day before the Union budget. This year the Economic Survey has been prepared by the new Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian who will roll out his first official survey on July 4.

A flagship document of the finance ministry, the Economic Survey is a review of the developments in the Indian economy over the previous 12 months.

The survey is essentially a summary of the performance on major development programmes, and highlights the policy initiatives of the government and the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term.

The upcoming Economic Survey for 2019-20 may have some new prescriptions that can address travails of the large sections of farmers who roil under low income for their produce, big loans and lose foodgrains for lack of proper logistical facilities.

In 2018, the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament by the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was coloured in pink to stress special emphasis on gender issues. The survey had taken into account that gender equality is an inherently multi-dimensional issue.