New Consumer Price Index series launched in 2026, reflecting updated consumption patterns and urban-rural weighting

Consumer Affairs Amends E-Commerce Rules 2020: Prior Price, Search Transparency Mandated from Jan 1, 2027

The Department of Consumer Affairs has amended the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 to curb discount manipulation, search ranking bias, dark patterns, and data misuse. Effective January 1, 2027, platforms must display the lowest price in the preceding 30 days as the 'prior price', clearly mark sponsored listings, conduct annual dark pattern audits, and integrate with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH).

CBDT's SAKSHAM NUDGE Campaign: ₹9,493 Cr Additional Tax from 1.25 Cr Updated ITRs

The CBDT's NUDGE campaign (now SAKSHAM NUDGE) has yielded ₹9,493 crore in additional tax from 1.25 crore updated ITRs in FY 2024-25 and 2025-26. This data-driven, non-intrusive compliance approach is a major shift from post-facto enforcement to preventive tax collection, a key theme for UPSC GS3 (Tax Reforms) and Banking exams.

Centre Imposes Stockholding Limit on Sugar, Allows Duty-Free Import of 10 Lakh MT to Curb Price Surge

To curb a sharp 15% spike in sugar prices ahead of the festive season, the Centre has imposed a 15-day stockholding limit on bulk consumers (using >10 MT/month) and allowed duty-free import of 10 lakh MT of raw sugar until October 31, 2026. The move invokes the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 and involves both the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce.

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 New GDP Series as Q1 Growth Hits 7.8%, Base Year Revised to 2022-23

MoSPI Secretary Saurabh Garg defends the new GDP series (base year 2022-23) amid criticism over downward revision of past GDP data. Q1 2026-27 growth at 7.8% surprised economists. Garg says the new series uses better data sources like GST, PLFS, ASUSE, and digital data (e-Vahan, PFMS), making it the best so far. The debate is 'unnecessary' as methods were already public months ago.

LPG Subsidy: Non-eKYC Households to Get Only 5/10 kg Cylinders at Market Price from Oct 1 2026

From October 1, 2026, households that haven't completed biometric Aadhaar authentication (eKYC) will only receive 5 or 10 kg LPG cylinders at market price, losing access to subsidized 14.2 kg refills. This move aims to rationalize subsidies but may burden non-compliant consumers, especially in rural areas.

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.

Centre Mandates 60:40 Centre-State Funding Split for VB-G RAM-G Rural Employment Scheme

The Centre has shifted the funding pattern of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (now VB-G RAM-G) from 100% central funding to a 60:40 Centre-State split (90:10 for Himalayan/Northeast states). This marks a major fiscal federalism change, with states allocating full 40% despite political opposition. Essential for Prelims (ratio, scheme name) and Mains (fiscal federalism, rural wage floor).