RAS question
Which organisation compiles and releases India's Consumer Price Index (CPI) data?
Correct answer: (A) National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI.
India's Consumer Price Index data is compiled and released by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Explanation
India's Consumer Price Index is compiled and released by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The Press Information Bureau retail inflation release is based on CPI data and identifies the National Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, in that release context, which supports option A. The exam trap is institutional: the Office of Economic Adviser under DPIIT compiles the Wholesale Price Index, while the RBI uses CPI as its nominal anchor for monetary policy. So CPI publication belongs to NSO under MoSPI; RBI and DPIIT are relevant to inflation discussions, but not as CPI's compiler and releasing authority.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The Reserve Bank of India uses CPI as the nominal anchor for monetary policy, but it is not the compiler or releasing authority for CPI.
- (C) The Office of Economic Adviser under DPIIT compiles the Wholesale Price Index, not India's Consumer Price Index.
- (D) NITI Aayog is not the organisation that compiles and releases CPI data.
Concept
This tests the institutional mapping of India's inflation indicators, a recurring RAS economy area because CPI, WPI and monetary policy are often confused. The key is to separate who publishes an index from who uses it for policy.