Consumer Price Index
Methodology, Base Year Revisions, and Compilation
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures changes in the price level of a weighted basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. In India, CPI is compiled by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The index is the primary metric used for inflation targeting by the RBI. Base year revisions are essential to reflect evolving consumption patterns, and the weights for the consumption basket are derived from the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES).
- CPI compiled by: National Statistical Office (NSO), MoSPI; released monthly
- Previous CPI base years: 2001 (CPI-IW), 2010=100 (first all-India CPI using CES 2004-05 weights), 2012=100 (using CES 2011-12 MMRP weights, released from January 2015)
- New base year: 2024=100, weights derived from HCES 2023-24
- HCES 2023-24: Conducted by MoSPI during August 2023 to July 2024; uses Modified Mixed Reference Period (MMRP) -- 365 days for clothing, education, durables; 7 days for perishable food; 30 days for other items
- New series items: 358 weighted items mapped to 12 divisions, 43 groups, 62 classes, and 192 sub-classes under COICOP 2018 classification
- Major weight changes: Food and beverages reduced from 45.86% to 36.75%; Housing increased from 10.07% to 17.66%; Transport and communication increased from 8.59% to 12.41%; Recreation and culture more than doubled to 4.86%
- New items tracked: OTT subscriptions, telecom plans, digital services, airfares, e-commerce prices; replacing obsolete items like video cassette recorders, radios, horse-cart fares
● Tracked since February 12, 2026 · last seen March 12, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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