By Admin 
Retail inflation CPI India: The government has proposed to include online sources as well as e-commerce platforms in the calculation of retail inflation with a view to substantially improve the reliability, accuracy and quality of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) is in the process of revising the base years for calculation of CPI, Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
CPI new series figures
The new series of CPI data is likely to be released on February 12, 2026, considering 2024 as the base year. National accounts data will be released on February 27, 2026, considering financial year 2022-23 as the base year, while the new series of IIP data will be released on May 28, considering 2022-23 as the base year.
On Tuesday, the Ministry organized a consultation workshop on base year revision of CPI, GDP and IIP.
Data will be taken from e-commerce platform
Regarding the inclusion of new data sources in the Consumer Price Index, the Ministry said that in addition to the data being collected from physical stores in the current series, price data will also be collected from e-commerce platforms in 12 selected cities with a population of more than 25 lakh. Efforts will also be made to obtain administrative data in coordination with Railways for rail fares, Petroleum Ministry for fuel prices and Department of Posts for postal charges.
MOSPI said that for air fares, telecom services and OTT (over the top) platform, it is proposed to collect price data from online sources using web-based methods. According to the ministry, the adoption of these alternative and digital data sources is expected to significantly improve the representativeness, reliability, accuracy and overall quality of the Consumer Price Index.
The ministry is also expanding its reach in urban and rural markets. It is also incorporating e-commerce price data and other digital sources to better understand the changing consumption patterns.
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