Don't hold your breath.

 "India's year-on -year retail inflation rate, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), based on the revised base year 2024, stood at 2.75% in January 2026, compared to January 2025, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)." "The CPI base year has been revised from 2012 to 2024 using data from the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES)." The new series starts at 100 from 2024 and ensures that "the index remains representative of current household consumption patterns, price structures and the evolving nature of the Indian economy." ddnews.gov.in. The percentage of different items in the CPI basket has been adjusted to reflect the differences in spending by households between 2012 and 2024. Weight of food and beverages have been reduced from 42.62% to 36.75%, because of lower spending on food, while spending on Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, Health, Transport, Education Services and Restaurants and accommodation services have exploded. Yet their weights have been increased only slightly. Finshots. While spending on restaurants and entertainment may be optional, housing, energy, health, transport and education are obligatory. Shouldn't they have higher weights? This government first came to power in 2014, with 282 seats (272 required for majority) in the Lok Sabha. wikipedia. Since then average inflation per calendar year has run at over 4% annually. rateinflation,com, CPI inflation is a comparison with the previous year's prices. This is the 'base effect'. Investopedia. CPI inflation was 4.98% last year and has fallen to 2.75% this year. This does not mean that prices have fallen but that they have risen 2.75% on last year's prices. So, inflation compounds over time. Core inflation leaves out volatile food and energy prices and perhaps gives a truer picture of the burden of rising costs on people. Investopedia. The government does not release the core CPI data but according to CEIC, core CPI inflation was at 3.375% in January 2026 over 4.98% in December 2025 and has averaged 5.362% from Jan 2012 to Jan 2026. CEIC. Which means that anything which cost Rs 1,000 in Jan 2012 would cost Rs 2,077 now. investor. gov. It would be helpful to be told the CPI inflation using the new basket of consumption as well as the old one so that we can compare, without the circus in 2019 when the government was suspected of massaging GDP back series data to show a higher growth rate compared to the previous Congress-led government. Acting chairman of the National Statistical Commission (NSC), PC Mohanan and member of NSC, J Meenakshi resigned in protest. Reuters. Prof Kaushik Basu, former Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India, has recently visited various schools in Purulia in Bengal, Bangalore and in Pune and was impressed that "The discussions were rigorous and unsparing." His last visit was to Delhi. "There pouring over the latest economic data and listening to political leaders respond to mounting challenges with familiar slogans, my optimism began to fade. India's promise is undeniable and its talent abundant, yet politics and empty rhetoric continue to undermine prospects." Mint. It's not about base year, consumption basket or household spending but about whether the figures will be actual, or just for chest thumping, which no one will believe. Better not to hold our breaths.