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developments while the second part gave a basic analysis of different sectors. The following year, the Economic
Survey was separated from the budget and was presented a day earlier as a stand-alone document. This was the first
Survey that saw the introduction of a statistical appendix. The sixties also saw several experiments with the format.
In some years, the sections were done by themes such Recession and Measures of Revival, Control of inflation, and
Food Shortage. In other years, it was done by sectoral sections such as Industry, Agriculture and Prices.
By 1970, the length of the Economic Survey had already crossed 150 pages with a detailed list of tables. The format
was further refined in the seventies and eighties with sections being transformed into chapters. This is the phase
that developed the format that is broadly recognizable today. The 1980s saw a consistent rise in the length of the
document with the introduction of new chapters. By 1990, the length of the Economic Survey had reached close to
250 pages including the statistical appendix.
The Indian economy went through a major crisis and subsequent reforms in 1991, and the Economic Survey of
1991-92 was eagerly awaited. This was the first survey that was brought out in two volumes although the first
volume was a short booklet of 27 pages that highlighted the macroeconomic problems facing the country while the
second volume reviewed the various sectors in detail. In subsequent years, the survey reverted to one volume with
a few modifications in the number of chapters. The beginning of the 21st century saw another transformation of the
Economic Survey with introduction of better graphics and brighter colors. The length of the survey, meanwhile,
crossed 380 pages by the early 2000s.
In 2007-08 and 2008-09, in the middle of a global financial crisis, an analytical chapter was added about the
country’s medium-term challenges and macro-economic prospects. From here onwards, more thematic chapters
were included each year. In 2011-12, document was 485 pages spread over thirteen chapters and the statistical
appendix. In 2013-14, the statistical appendix was separated out and published as a separate volume. In the
following year, the Survey was presented as two volumes: Volume 1 had a number of chapters addressing topical
policy concerns, while Volume 2 carried the traditional Economic Survey along with the statistical appendix. This
format was continued till last year with the length of document steadily going up. Moreover, an attempt was made
in the last three Surveys to ensure that the Volume 1 chapters adhered to a broad theme rather than appeared as
stand-alone papers. The Economic Survey 2020-21 consisted of 335 pages in Volume 1, 368 pages in Volume 2 and
a statistical appendix of 174 pages - a total of 877 pages!

As one can see, the Economic Survey has gone through a great deal of evolution over the decades. The two volume
format did allow space for bringing in new ideas and themes but, at almost 900 pages, it was also becoming
unwieldy. It was also felt that the thematic chapters of Volume 1 were not adequately linked to the sectoral chapters
of Volume 2. Therefore, this year’s Survey reverts to a single volume plus a separate volume for the Statistical
Appendix. Along with the sectoral chapters, a new chapter has been added that demonstrates the use of satellite and
geo-spatial images to gauge various economic phenomenon – urbanization, infrastructure, environmental impact,
farming practices and so on. The idea of having a separate volume for the statistical appendix is to give it a distinct
identity as the one-stop source of authentic data. It is hoped that it will evolve in the next few years to include new
kinds of socio-economic data in line with the emphasis on a feedback loop approach.
The publication of the Economic Survey is a team effort. It is only possible because of inputs from Ministries and
institutions across the Government of India, industry bodies, think-tanks and individual experts. The officers and
consultants of the Economic Division, Department of Economic Affairs, put in months of effort to write, compile,
and edit the document. Doing it in the middle of a pandemic added special constraints. Nonetheless, we hope
that the readers will find this year’s document to be a lucid and insightful assessment of the country’s economic
trajectory.
Sanjeev Sanyal
Principal Economic Adviser
Ministry of Finance
Government of India

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