CPI Base Year Revised to 2024 with 12 COICOP Categories; New Weights from HCES Data to Better Track Services Inflation

Make in India 12-Year Review: PLI Schemes Show Concentration, Manufacturing Growth Patchy

Make in India completes 12 years with mixed results: manufacturing growth has been inconsistent, PLI schemes attracted ₹2.4 lakh crore but concentrated in top 5 sectors, employment impact limited to 8.5 lakh direct jobs. Key data for exams: non-petroleum exports grew 53% to $388.3B, capacity utilisation remains below 80%.

Govt Proposes Gold Monetisation via Jewellers: 20,000 Tonne Idle Gold, Demat Deposits, Interest Income

The government is planning a new gold monetisation scheme where jewellers, not banks, will collect physical gold deposits from households, issue demat receipts, and pay interest. This aims to unlock over 20,000 tonnes of idle gold, improve India's trade balance, and reduce import dependence — a key reform for economic stability and current account management.

MoSPI Considers Diary-Based HCES for High-Income Households to Tackle 9.8% Urban Non-Response Rate

To counter rising non-response from affluent households in gated societies, MoSPI is piloting a 'diary-based' self-reporting method for the next Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) in 2027-28. This shift is critical because the HCES data directly impacts CPI basket weights, inflation targeting by RBI, and policy making, but raises concerns about data comparability due to differential recall errors between survey methods.

MoSPI Defends 7.8% GDP Growth Amid Criticism, Cites Base Year Change to 2022-23

MoSPI issued a six-point rebuttal defending the 7.8% GDP growth for Q1 FY26, clarifying that data revisions stem from the base year change (2011-12 to 2022-23) and updated indices (PPI, IIP). The ministry refuted claims of manipulation, emphasizing that comparing old and new series is invalid.

Manufacturing GVA: NSO's ₹38.6 Lakh Cr Estimate vs ASI-ASUSE ₹27.4 Lakh Cr Shows 40.9% Gap

The official National Accounts Statistics put manufacturing GVA at ₹38.6 lakh crore for 2023-24, but an alternative estimate using ASI and ASUSE data is only ₹27.4 lakh crore — a gap of 40.9%. Even after adding residual workers' potential output, ₹7.6 lakh crore (19.7%) remains unexplained, raising serious questions about the NSO's methodology. For exam aspirants, this is key to understanding GDP estimation, MCA-21 data use, and statistical reliability debates.

New GDP Series 2022-23: 5 Key Changes Including MGT-7 Classification, Gold Savings Doubling, and Rooftop Solar

India's new GDP series (base year 2022-23) introduces five lesser-known but impactful changes. Key reforms include splitting enterprise GVA by activity using MGT-7 forms, valuing government housing, lowering asset useful lives, shifting household savings data source to SEBI (doubling gold savings estimates), and including rooftop solar electricity. These changes improve GDP accuracy but require careful understanding for exam questions on methodology.

RBI Issues Comprehensive Loan Recovery Rules: Phone Lock Allowed After 60 Days, Compensation ₹250/hr for Delayed Restoration

RBI has issued a consolidated framework for loan recovery by commercial banks, effective January 1, 2027. For the first time, it regulates technology-based restrictions on financed devices (smartphones/laptops) — allowing phone locking after 60 days of default, but with strict safeguards including ₹250/hour compensation for delayed restoration. This is a high-impact regulatory reform for Banking exams and UPSC GS3.

NITI Aayog Proposes Licensing Reforms in Law, Healthcare, Engineering; Services 55% of GDP

NITI Aayog has proposed wide-ranging regulatory reforms for professional services — law, accounting, architecture, engineering, and healthcare — covering licensing, business structures, interstate mobility, and mutual recognition with other countries. The report notes services form 55% of GDP and India is the seventh-largest services exporter with 4.3% global share. For aspirants, this is a high-yield governance/economy topic for Prelims data and Mains on services-led growth.