Which index does the Reserve Bank of India use to measure inflation for its inflation targeting framework?
- A.Wholesale Price Index
- B.Consumer Price Index (Combined)
- C.Index of Industrial Production
- D.GDP deflator
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, the Consumer Price Index (Combined). When the flexible inflation targeting framework was adopted after the amendment of the Reserve Bank of India Act in 2016, the combined rural and urban consumer price index released by the National Statistical Office was made the nominal anchor, as the Urjit Patel Committee had recommended. It was chosen because it measures the prices households actually pay and includes services.
Option A, the wholesale price index, was the headline measure before this change, but it covers only goods traded in bulk and no services at all. Option C, the Index of Industrial Production, measures the volume of industrial output and is not a price index. Option D, the GDP deflator, is the broadest price measure but is published only with the national accounts, far too late for a monthly policy decision.
Read the full article: Inflation and Price Indices: WPI, CPI and Exam Notes
Practice Questions
View allThe Wholesale Price Index in India is compiled and released by which body?
- A.The Reserve Bank of India
- B.The Labour Bureau
- C.The Office of the Economic Adviser
- D.The National Statistical Office
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The wholesale price index is compiled and released every month by the Office of the Economic Adviser in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Read the full explanation →Inflation that is caused by aggregate demand rising faster than the supply of goods and services is called:
- A.Cost-push inflation
- B.Demand-pull inflation
- C.Structural inflation
- D.Imported inflation
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It is described in the classic phrase as too much money chasing too few goods.
Read the full explanation →A situation of high inflation along with stagnant growth and high unemployment is known as:
- A.Reflation
- B.Disinflation
- C.Stagflation
- D.Deflation
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The word joins stagnation and inflation, and it describes the awkward situation in which prices are rising fast while output is flat and unemployment is high.
Read the full explanation →During a period of high inflation, which of the following groups usually gains?
- A.Borrowers
- B.Lenders
- C.Pensioners
- D.Holders of fixed deposits
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A loan is repaid in a fixed number of rupees, and inflation reduces what those rupees can buy. The borrower therefore returns money of smaller real value than the money received, so the real burden of the debt falls.
Read the full explanation →A fall in the rate of inflation, while the general price level is still rising, is called:
- A.Deflation
- B.Disinflation
- C.Stagflation
- D.Skewflation
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If the inflation rate falls from seven per cent to five per cent, prices are still higher than last year but they are rising more slowly.
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