MoSPI and the National Statistics Office: notes for bank exams

At a glance

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is India's nodal ministry for official statistics. Its statistical wing, the National Statistics Office (NSO), produces retail inflation, GDP, industrial output and jobs data. Wholesale prices and the core-industries index come from a different office, the Office of the Economic Adviser in the Commerce Ministry, which is a favourite exam trap.

Key facts

Ministry: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation; Minister of State (Independent Charge): Rao Inderjit Singh
Secretary and Chief Statistician of India: Saurabh Garg (tenure extended to 31 July 2027)
NSO formed: 2019, by merging the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)
National Statistical Commission: set up in 2005 on the Rangarajan Commission's advice
CPI (combined, rural, urban): NSO; new base 2024=100, first released 12 February 2026 (old base 2012)
GDP: NSO; new base 2022-23 (old 2011-12), new series from 27 February 2026
IIP: NSO; new base 2022-23 (old 2011-12), new series in 2026
PLFS: NSO; monthly bulletin since May 2025 (for April 2025)
WPI: Office of the Economic Adviser (OEA), DPIIT; new base 2022-23 released 15 June 2026 (old 2011-12)
Index of Core Industries: OEA, DPIIT; base 2022-23, nine industries
Statistics Day: 29 June (birth anniversary of P. C. Mahalanobis)

How it works

Indicator	Compiled by	Base year (2026)	Frequency
CPI (retail inflation)	NSO, MoSPI	2024	Monthly, around the 12th
GDP / GVA	NSO, MoSPI	2022-23	Quarterly and annual
IIP	NSO, MoSPI	2022-23	Monthly
PLFS	NSO, MoSPI	(survey)	Monthly, quarterly, annual
WPI	OEA, DPIIT	2022-23	Monthly, around the 14th
Core industries	OEA, DPIIT	2022-23	Monthly, around the 20th
CPI-IW	Labour Bureau	2016	Monthly

Why base years matter. A base year fixes the basket and weights. Moving CPI to 2024 used the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24, which cut the weight of food and beverages from 45.86% to 36.75% and widened the basket from 299 to 358 items. The RBI's 4% inflation target is defined on headline CPI (combined).

Surveys. The NSO also runs the Annual Survey of Industries, household consumption surveys and the unincorporated-enterprises survey (ASUSE), in addition to the PLFS.

Recent developments

15 Oct 2026: PLFS monthly bulletin for September 2026: unemployment rate 5.0% (age 15+, CWS), LFPR 55.5%; the 18th monthly bulletin.
12 Oct 2026: NSO put September 2026 CPI inflation at 5.54% (August 4.83%), with food inflation at 7.74%, on base 2024=100.
15 Jun 2026: OEA released the new WPI series on base 2022-23 (items up from 697 to 957), along with producer price indices.
27 Feb 2026: New GDP series on base 2022-23 released.
12 Feb 2026: New CPI series on base 2024=100 released.

Exam traps

WPI is compiled by the OEA, DPIIT (Commerce Ministry), not by the NSO or the RBI.
CPI base is 2024, but GDP, IIP and WPI bases are 2022-23.
CPI-IW (for DA of government staff) is compiled by the Labour Bureau, not the NSO.
The NSO was formed in 2019; CSO and NSSO no longer exist as separate offices.
The Chief Statistician of India is the Secretary of MoSPI, not a separate post.

Quick check

Q: Which office compiles the Wholesale Price Index? A: The Office of the Economic Adviser, DPIIT.
Q: What is the base year of the CPI series released in 2026? A: 2024.
Q: Which two bodies merged to form the NSO? A: The CSO and the NSSO.

Sources

In the news

Every time this topic has appeared in our current affairs, newest first:

Week of 15–21 October 2026PLFS: unemployment steady at 5.0% in September
Week of 8–14 October 2026Retail inflation climbs to 5.54% in September 2026