Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, April 7: Cost of living for agricultural labourers remains at one of the lowest level in the state lagging the all India average by a wide margin, state Economic Survey said.
“As on July 2015, CPI (consumer price inflation) for agricultural labourers in Orissa (727) remains very low compared to other states excluding Himachal Pradesh and Bihar. This indicates the cost of living for agricultural labourers in Orissa is one of the lowest in the country,” it noted.
However, the survey pointed out that rapid industrialization has pushed living standards of industrial workers in the last one decade.
“It’s noteworthy that for industrial workers in Orissa, there has been a reversal. Till 2015, the state’s CPI for industrial workers was more than that of India,” it said.
On consumption pattern, the survey said in the food category, on an average an Indian spends more than double the amount a person spends on milk and milk products and in the non-food category, on an average an Indian spends considerably more on consumer services than does a person in Orissa.
Painting a poor picture of employment opportunities in private sector, the survey noted that public sector absorbed an overwhelming 85 per cent of total employment in organised sector leaving behind private sector with only 15 per cent employees in Orissa.
