Government to Change Method of Measuring Retail Inflation, E-commerce Data to be Included in CPI

The government has proposed including online sources and e-commerce platforms in the calculation of retail inflation with the aim of significantly improving the reliability, accuracy, and quality of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Retail inflation CPI India: The government has proposed including online sources and e-commerce platforms in the calculation of retail inflation with the aim of significantly improving the reliability, accuracy, and quality of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is in the process of revising the base years for the calculation of CPI, Index of Industrial Production (IIP), and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

New CPI Series Data

The data for the new CPI series, with 2024 as the base year, is likely to be released on February 12, 2026. National accounts data, with the financial year 2022-23 as the base year, will be released on February 27, 2026, while the new IIP series data, also with 2022-23 as the base year, will be released on May 28.

On Tuesday, the ministry organized a consultative workshop on the revision of base years for CPI, GDP, and IIP.

Data to be Collected from E-commerce Platforms

Regarding the inclusion of new data sources in the Consumer Price Index, the ministry stated that in addition to the data currently collected from physical stores, price data will also be obtained from e-commerce platforms in 12 selected cities with a population of over 25 lakh. Efforts will also be made to obtain administrative data in coordination with the Railways for rail fares, the Ministry of Petroleum for fuel prices, and the Department of Posts for postal charges.

MoSPI said that for airfares, telecommunication services, and OTT (Over-The-Top) platforms, 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 coverage to urban and rural markets and incorporating e-commerce price data and other digital sources to better understand evolving consumption patterns.