Updated Brahm Govind Prasad’s Socioeconomic Classification for the Year 2024

Dear Editor, Social stratification is the process by which society is divided into different groups according to the sociodemographic traits of its members.[1] Socioeconomic status (SES) is a proxy indicator for the health of an individual and his/her family.[2] It assists in identifying community members who are at risk and applying preventative actions to them to ward off illness. Numerous studies have already demonstrated the link between poor socioeconomic position and conditions such as acute respiratory infections, infectious diseases, diarrhea, and malnutrition. The three key factors that determine a person’s socioeconomic position are income, occupation, and education.[1] There are many different scales to measure the SES of a family. Brahm Govind (BG) Prasad’s classification proposed in the year 1961 is a scale based on per capita monthly income (modified in 1968 and 1970) and has been used extensively in India.[3] BG Prasad’s classification was first introduced in 1961. It was based on the per capita income. Per capita monthly income = Total monthly family income from all sources/total no. of family members. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for 1961 is 100. Based on that, the classification for 1961 was designed. It was later revised by himself in 1968 and 1970. Advantages: It is simple and easy to compute because it just accounts for the income variable.[4] Disadvantages: The variable of income is prone to periodic fluctuations due to inflation. It must be continually revised to get over this drawback. CALCULATING THE NEW INCOME VALUES Correction factor = Current index value × Linking factor 1 (between 1960 and 1980) × Linking factor 2 (between 1982 and 2001) × Linking factor 3 (between 2001 and 2016) the whole is divided by base index value (base value for 1961). Current index value for June 2024[5] =141.4 Linking factor 1 (between 1960 and 1980) =4.93 Linking factor 2 (between 1982 and 2001) =4.63 Linking factor 3 (between 2001 and 2016) =2.88. The linkage factor will be announced by the Labour Bureau; the recent linking factor from 2001 to 2016 was announced by the director general of Labour Bureau to be 2.88 with 65 common centers, which ranges from 2.38 of Doom-Dooma Tinsukia, to 3.60 of Nagpur.[6] CPI-industrial workers for June 2024 is 141.4. Correction factor = 141.4 × 4.93 × 4.63 × 2.88/100 (base value for 1960) = 92.95 New income value = Old income values (base value for 1961) × Correction factor, and the calculation of each class from I to V after rounding off is mentioned below: CLASS I = 100 and above (base value) × 92.95 (correction factor) = INR* (Indian rupees) 9295 and above CLASS II = 50–99 (base value) × 92.95 (correction factor) = INR*4647–9294 CLASS I II = 30–49 (base value) × 9 2.95 (correction factor) = INR*2788–4646 CLASS IV = 15–29 (base value) × 92.95 (correction factor) = INR*1394–2787 CLASS V = 15 and below (base value) × 92.95 (correction factor) = INR*1393 and below. INDIAN RUPEES The abovementioned values are to be applied according to the per capita income. Per capita income is calculated by combining all the family income and dividing it by the number of people in the house irrespective of age. Accordingly, the family whose monthly per capita income is >9295 INR belongs to Class I according to the modified BG Prasad’s classification and Class V whose monthly per capita income is <1393 INR. CONCLUSION Midyear calculation of BG Prasad is vital as it gives an understanding of socio-economic status trends and making informed decisions about resource allocation and interventions throughout the year for both urban and rural population. Socioeconomic classification is an important predictor of the health status of an individual or a family. As CPI measures changes in prices of goods and services at the household level over a period; BG Prasad’s classification should be constantly updated for the use of healthcare professionals. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.