Labour Bureau begins data digitisation with CPI for industrial workers compendium

The government on Thursday said a compendium on Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) is the beginning of the digitization process of data on labour and price statistics.

The CPI-IW is used to regulate the dearness allowance of government employees and workers in the industrial sectors besides the fixation and revision of minimum wages in scheduled employment.

While releasing the compendium, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour & Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar said it is a first of its kind publication.


“The compendium on CPI-IW, the mainstay of Labour Bureau India, is the beginning of digitization process of data on labour and price statistics stored in its warehouse,” the labour and employment said in a release.

CPI-IW has been compiled by the Labour Bureau since 1945 and is one of the most used statistical indicators.

Noting that the extent to which their real wages are protected from erosion on account of price rises depends on the quality and reliability of the CPI series, the ministry said: “As such, it becomes necessary to examine critically the consumer price index numbers that are currently being published and used with a view to assuring the users of their reliability and also standardizing the concepts and methods of compilation”.

The series was revised on base 1982 and 2001. The government released a new series of the index last year with a revised base year of 2016 against 2001 earlier.