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MoSPI revised the Consumer Price Index (CPI) base year from 2012=100 to 2024=100, with the new series released on 12 February 2026.
Price collection now covers 1,465 rural and 1,395 urban markets across 434 towns, plus 12 online markets in large cities to capture e-commerce prices — and the weighted item basket has grown from 299 to 358 items.
The new basket and weights are based on the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023-24; provisional Combined inflation for June 2026 stood at 4.38%.
Information was given by Minister of State Rao Inderjit Singh in the Lok Sabha.
| Aspect | CPI (Consumer Price Index) | WPI (Wholesale Price Index) |
|---|---|---|
| Publishing body | National Statistical Office (NSO), MoSPI | Office of Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce & Industry |
| Price level measured | Retail/consumer level | Wholesale/producer level |
| Base year (as of 2026) | 2024=100 (revised Feb 2026) | 2011-12=100 (revision to 2022-23 approved 25.05.2026) |
| Includes services? | Yes | No — goods only |
| Primary use | RBI Monetary Policy Committee's inflation target | Tracking wholesale/producer-level price trends |
A CPI 'base year' is the reference year indexed to value 100, against which subsequent years' prices are compared to compute inflation. Revising the base year updates the basket of goods/services and their weights to match current consumption patterns, using a fresh Household Consumption Expenditure Survey. India's general CPI was rebased from 2010=100 to 2012=100 in January 2015, and has now been rebased to 2024=100, released in February 2026.
Simple Analogy: Like updating the grocery basket used to track price rises — if households now spend more on mobile data and less on kerosene than a decade ago, the basket must change or the inflation number stops matching real life.
Compiles and releases the monthly CPI (Rural/Urban/Combined) under MoSPI, using data collected by field staff across the notified markets
CPI Combined inflation is the metric RBI's MPC targets (4% ± 2% band); a base-year revision changes how this target is measured going forward
HCES 2023-24 supplied the new item basket and weights, replacing the 2011-12 Consumer Expenditure Survey data used in the 2012=100 series
The Wholesale Price Index's own base-year revision, from 2011-12 to 2022-23, was approved separately on 25.05.2026
GS Paper 3 > Indian Economy > Inflation, Price Indices and Statistics
High — CPI/inflation methodology is a recurring GS3 economy topic
The reference year set to index value 100, against which price changes in other years are measured
Household Consumption Expenditure Survey — the survey supplying the item basket and weights for the CPI