India Revises Economic Base Year To Improve Data

On January 31, 2026, Rajeeva Lakman Karandikar, Chairman of the National Statistical Commission, said AI acts as a recommendation system while robust data remains the 'decision-maker', and defended changing the base year used to compute GDP, CPI inflation and the IIP. MoSPI Secretary Saurabh Garg said the base-year revision will improve data quality and usability for AI and machine-learning applications, aiding policymakers.