Updated B. G. Prasad Socioeconomic Status Classification for the Year 2023

Abstract

Dear Editor, Socioeconomic status (SES) is recognized as a significant determinant of an individual’s health. SES is determined by various factors such as education, occupation, income, and material possessions. In the context of classifying individuals based on their SES, two widely used scales are the B. G. Prasad SES Scale and the Kuppuswamy SES Scale. The B. G. Prasad Scale is applicable to both rural and urban populations and was first introduced in 1961, with subsequent revisions in 1968 and 1970.[1–3] The B. G. Prasad SES Scale calculates SES based on per capita monthly income, which is obtained by dividing the total monthly family income by the total number of family members. One advantage of using the B. G. Prasad Scale is its simplicity in relying solely on income as a variable for classification. However, it is crucial to update the income categories periodically to account for changes in the value of currency due to inflation, ensuring the continued relevance of the income criteria. REVISION OF B. G. PRASAD SCALE The B. G. Prasad Scale was initially introduced in 1961, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for 1960 serving as the base value of 100. In subsequent years, modifications were made to the scale. In 1982 and 2001, linking factors were introduced to convert the CPI of those years (based on the new base of 100) back to the old base CPI of 1960. The linking factors for 1982 and 2001 were 4.63 and 4.93, respectively. More recently, the Ministry of Labor Bureau amended the base year to 2016, incorporating a linking factor of 2.88.[4] This change aimed to reflect the new series of all India and individual center-wise CPIs for industrial workers, taking into account the latest consumption patterns of the working-class population. CALCULATION OF THE NEW INCOME RANGES CPI for industrial workers for March 2023 = 133.3. Multiplication factor = current index value (133.3)/base index value in 2016 (100) = 1.333. The new income value can now be calculated using the following equation: New income value = Multiplication Factor × Old Income Value × 4.63 × 4.93 × 2.88. Where 4.63, 4.93, and 2.88 are the linking factors given by the labor bureau. The updated values for the per capita monthly income (in Rs. per month) for March 2023 are given in Table 1.Table 1: Revision of B. G. Prasad’s socioeconomic status classification revised for the year 2023 (base year 2016=100)Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.