Capital’s truth in telling figures: Delhi loves money, cars & wine

The handbook, compiled by the Delhi Government's Department of Economics and Statistics every year, was released by Finance and Planning Minister Dr A K Walia on Monday. This year’s survey has revealed that Delhi is breathing down Goa’s neck on per capita income. At Rs 61,676 at current prices, Delhi is second to Goa’s Rs 70,112, which is the highest per capita income in the country. At constant prices, Delhi’s per capita income however beats Goa’s at 49, 172 to Rs 47,507.

Much of the citizen’s income goes towards buying hot wheels — Delhi bought 15,89,872 cars in 2006-2007 as compared to 14,31,638 in 2004-2005. However, public transport has taken a hit with fewer buses on the Capital’s roads these days. The number of people taking public transport has also gone down. The sale of liquor (particularly that of wine and beer) has gone up over the years and so have accidents. Accidents have claimed 2,167 lives in 2006-2007.

The survey has found that people in the city watch less television than those in neighbouring states. While Uttar Pradesh has 49 million television viewers, Delhi has close to 11 million. The Delhiite is not flocking to movie halls either. There are less movie theatres in Delhi today (48 halls) than in 1992 when the city had 67 halls.