CPI 2024 series modernised with food weight cut to 36.8% and rural rent tracking introduced

Exam-focused facts from the 5 February 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) announced the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) 2024 series to be released on 12 February 2026.
Food and beverages weight in CPI basket lowered from 45.9% in 2012 to 36.8% in 2024, a reduction of 9.1 percentage points.
Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels category weight rose from 16.9% to 17.7%, becoming the second-largest gainer.
House rent index compilation extended to rural areas for the first time, selecting six rented dwellings per rural village versus 12 per urban market.
Census 2011 data now used for dwelling type weights, replacing the earlier Housing Condition Survey.
Transport weight increased marginally to 8.8% and health weight rose to 6.1%.
Education services weight declined to 3.3% from 4.5%.