Average household income in Telangana among the highest but so is its spend on a thali

HYDERABAD: An average industrial worker in Telangana spends almost all of his daily income for his family to consume two non-vegetarian thalis in a day. As per the Thalinomics survey conducted by Centre, the average household income for a family of five in the state is close to Rs 480 per day while the cost of one non-vegetarian thali is said to be around Rs 40.
Telangana is said to have one of the highest household incomes but with a non-vegetarian thali priced at Rs 40, it almost spends all of it to consume two thalis a day. In case of a vegetarian thali, the average household in Telangana spends between 50-75% of its daily income.
While the survey shows that the percentage of income spent on a non-vegetarian thali is similar states such as Kashmir, Bihar, Assam and Tripura, the daily incomes in these states is also lower. For example, in Assam, the price of a non-vegetarian thali is around Rs 40 but the daily household wage is just above Rs 280. Meaning: a family has to spend over its daily household income to afford two non-vegetarian thalis for a family of five.
When it comes to the affordability of a vegetarian thali, the survey shows that a household in Telangana spends between 50 to 75% of daily income on a vegetarian thali. Jharkhand fares well in this regard with a household spend of up to 25% for two vegetarian thalis a day.
The survey revealed that affordability of vegetarian thalis improved by 29% from 2006-07 to 2019-20 while affordability for non-vegetarian thalis improved by 18% across India. The survey has considered the price data from consumer price index of workers for around 80 centres in 25 states and Union territories from 2006 to 2019. The fiscal year 2015-16 was considered as the year when there was a shift in the dynamics of thali prices.