New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) The government plans to tap e-commerce platforms and online sources to compute retail inflation under the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series, a move aimed at improving the reliability, accuracy and overall quality of inflation data.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is revising the base years for CPI, the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The new CPI series with base year 2024=100 is scheduled for release on February 12, 2026.
Alongside prices collected from physical outlets, MoSPI will source data from e-commerce platforms in 12 cities with populations exceeding 25 lakh. Administrative data will also be accessed in coordination with the railways for fares, the petroleum ministry for fuel prices and the postal department for tariffs. Prices of airfares, telecom services and OTT platforms are proposed to be compiled from online sources using web-based methods.
“The adoption of these alternative and digital data sources is expected to substantially improve the representativeness, reliability, accuracy and overall quality of the CPI,” the ministry said, adding that the changes would help better capture evolving consumption patterns across urban and rural markets.
MoSPI Secretary Saurabh Garg said the revised GDP series is unlikely to significantly alter growth expectations. “In general, we don’t expect much changes from what our previous expectations are,” he said, noting that real-time data such as GST filings and new surveys like the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises would strengthen estimates.
The ministry also plans to launch a new Annual Survey of Service Sector Enterprises, introduce an Index of Service Production in 2026, and update the IIP series with revised weights and more timely data sources to reflect current industrial trends.
Category: Breaking News
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