The government is set to release the retail inflation data for January based on the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series tomorrow, on February 12.The new CPI series will also reflect price movements in airfares, e-commerce platforms and subscription rates of OTT channels.
What the new series comprises
The new series with base year 2024 will cover 358 items as compared to 299 products and services factored in the 2012 CPI series.
The prices will be collected from 1,465 rural markets and 1,395 urban markets, much higher data collection points in CPI (2024=100).
The last inflation number based on old series was released for December 2025 on 12 January 2026.
In December, the year-on-year inflation stood at 1.33%, an increase of 62 basis points from November.
The National Statistics Organisation (NSO) in the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation releases macroeconomic data related to retail inflation, factor production, and national accounts (GDP).
Government revises base years for GDP, IIP and CPI
The ministry has decided on a comprehensive exercise for revision of the base year of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) to enhance their relevance, accuracy and international comparability.
The new base year for the GDP and IIP is 2022-23, and for CPI the proposed base year is 2024.
The ministry said the base year revision of GDP, CPI & IIP is guided by the respective Technical Advisory Committee / Expert Groups comprising of experts from Academia, Central and State Governments, and RBI, among others.
“The release of the new series of GDP, CPI and IIP is scheduled for 27th February 2026, 12th February 2026 and May 2026, respectively,” it said.
CPI data key for RBI’s monetary policy decisions
The monthly CPI retail inflation data is crucial, as the Reserve Bank of India factors it in while framing monetary policy.
Last Friday, the RBI did not come out with an inflation projection for the next fiscal year and decided to wait for the release of the new CPI series.