UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — PRESS RELEASE OF CONSUMER PRICE INDEX ON BASE 2024=100 FOR APRIL, 2026
Q1. Which one of the following surveys serves as the primary source of expenditure weights in the new Consumer Price Index series with base year 2024=100?
- A. Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023-24
- B. NSS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2011-12
- C. Periodic Labour Force Survey 2023-24
- D. All India Debt and Investment Survey 2018-19
Q2. The classification framework newly adopted for the Consumer Price Index (Base 2024=100) series in India — COICOP 2018 — has been developed under the authority of which one of the following bodies?
- A. United Nations Statistics Division
- B. International Monetary Fund
- C. OECD Statistics and Data Directorate
- D. World Bank Development Data Group
Q3. With reference to the provisional data released by the NSO for April 2026 under the CPI (Base 2024=100) series, which of the following figures is/are correctly identified?
- All India CPI (Combined) headline inflation — 3.48%
- All India Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) Combined inflation — 4.20%
- All India CPI Rural inflation — 3.16%
- All India CFPI Urban inflation — 4.10%
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q4. With reference to the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) constituted under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, consider the following statements:
1. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India is the ex-officio Chairperson of the MPC.
2. The Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India in charge of monetary policy is an ex-officio member.
3. The Finance Secretary, Government of India, is an ex-officio member of the MPC.
4. Three members of the MPC are appointed by the Central Government from among persons of ability, integrity and standing.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India is the ex-officio Chairperson of the MPC.
- The Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India in charge of monetary policy is an ex-officio member.
- The Finance Secretary, Government of India, is an ex-officio member of the MPC.
- Three members of the MPC are appointed by the Central Government from among persons of ability, integrity and standing.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 3 only
- C. 3 and 4 only
- D. 2 and 3 only
Q5. Under Section 45ZA of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the 'inflation target' notified by the Central Government in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India refers to which one of the following?
- A. Year-on-year change in the Wholesale Price Index (All Commodities)
- B. Year-on-year change in the Consumer Price Index (Combined)
- C. Year-on-year change in the GDP deflator at current market prices
- D. A weighted average of CPI-Industrial Workers and CPI-Agricultural Labourers
Q6. With reference to the official price indices in India, consider the following pairings of index and the agency that compiles/releases it:
1. Consumer Price Index (Combined) — National Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
2. Wholesale Price Index — Office of the Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
3. Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers — Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment
4. Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers — Reserve Bank of India
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- Consumer Price Index (Combined) — National Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- Wholesale Price Index — Office of the Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
- Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers — Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment
- Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers — Reserve Bank of India
- A. 1, 2 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q7. The monthly 'Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices in India' (Wholesale Price Index) is officially compiled and released by which one of the following?
- A. National Statistical Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- B. Office of the Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
- C. Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment
- D. Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
Q8. Which one of the following is solely responsible for compiling and releasing the all-India Consumer Price Index (Rural, Urban and Combined) on the base 2024=100?
- A. Reserve Bank of India, in consultation with the Monetary Policy Committee
- B. National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
- C. Labour Bureau under the Ministry of Labour and Employment
- D. Department of Economic Affairs under the Ministry of Finance
Q9. With reference to the new all-India Consumer Price Index series on base 2024=100, consider the following statements:
1. The series adopts the COICOP 2018 framework comprising 12 divisions at the first level of hierarchy.
2. The weights of items in the series are derived from the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24.
3. The share of 'Food and Beverages' in the new series is higher than its share in the CPI 2012=100 series.
4. The item basket of the new series comprises 358 weighted items.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- The series adopts the COICOP 2018 framework comprising 12 divisions at the first level of hierarchy.
- The weights of items in the series are derived from the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24.
- The share of 'Food and Beverages' in the new series is higher than its share in the CPI 2012=100 series.
- The item basket of the new series comprises 358 weighted items.
- A. 1, 2 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 4 only
- D. 1 and 4 only
Q10. Under the Flexible Inflation Targeting framework as reviewed for the period 2026–2031, which one of the following authorities is empowered to formally notify the CPI inflation target and its tolerance band for India?
- A. The Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India
- B. The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India through a monetary policy statement
- C. The Central Government, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India
- D. The Financial Stability and Development Council chaired by the Union Finance Minister
Q11. With reference to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023-24, which one of the following is the principal statistical purpose for which its results are being used by the official price-statistics system?
- A. Fixing the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) base year and item weights
- B. Updating the item basket and item weights for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) series on base 2024=100
- C. Deriving the implicit GDP deflator used in national income aggregates
- D. Determining the weighting diagram of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP)
Q12. With reference to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023-24, consider the following statements:
1. It was conducted by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
2. Estimates are based on data collected from about 2.62 lakh households across rural and urban India.
3. The average Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) was estimated at about Rs. 4,122 in rural India and Rs. 6,996 in urban India.
4. The Gini coefficient of consumption inequality increased in both rural and urban areas as compared with HCES 2022-23.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- It was conducted by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
- Estimates are based on data collected from about 2.62 lakh households across rural and urban India.
- The average Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) was estimated at about Rs. 4,122 in rural India and Rs. 6,996 in urban India.
- The Gini coefficient of consumption inequality increased in both rural and urban areas as compared with HCES 2022-23.
- A. 1, 2 and 3 only
- B. 2, 3 and 4 only
- C. 1 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4