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India Starts Scraping Online Prices, Plans Direct Feeds for CPI Revamp

The statistics ministry aims to reflect shifting spending patterns by adding platform data to a new inflation series due early next year.

Shopping trolley is seen in front of Walmart logo in this illustration, July 24, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo
A visitior stands near a logo of Amazon during the annual Retail Leadership Summit in Mumbai, India, February 27, 2025. REUTERS/Hemanshi Kamani/ File Photo
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Overview

  • MoSPI has begun collecting e-commerce prices in 12 large cities and is negotiating direct data access with major platforms including Amazon and Flipkart.
  • E-commerce firms are being asked to submit weekly average prices, which the government will verify against broader datasets to reduce potential skews.
  • The updated Consumer Price Index is slated for early 2026 and will adjust item weights based on recent surveys showing a lower share of household budgets spent on food.
  • Online sources for categories such as airfares and streaming services will be incorporated to better capture current consumption.
  • The CPI changes form part of a wider overhaul that includes a new GDP series with a 2022–23 base year and a quarterly services output index targeted for rollout by mid-2026.