Revisiting the Social Construct of Status in India: The Modified B.G. Prasad Socio-economic Status Classification (2022)

ABSTRACT

The Modified B.G Prasad Classification is a favoured socioeconomic status classification for epidemiological studies in India due to its simplicity but needs monthly updates and revision based on changing Consumer Price Index for Industrial workers base values due to changes in the cost of living and inflation. Socio-economic status greatly influences the distribution of health-related states and events in a community. To perform the necessary revisions in the classification, this paper illustrates the calculation of a multiplication factor and the inclusion of a new base value for the year 2016, in an easy-to-use formula. By inserting the appropriate values as given by the Indian Labour Bureau, values for the year 2022. The formula and the methodology for calculation of the socio-economic status can be used by researchers for future revisions in the B.G. Prasad Classification for socio-economic status.

Keywords: Socio-economic Status, Inflation, Cost of living, B.G Prasad Classification, Consumer Price Index

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