Minimalist IAS
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UPSC CSE Prelims 2015 · GS paper

Which of the following brings out the 'Consumer Price Index Number for Industrial Workers'?

A question from UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2015, General Studies, explained with its sources.

Prelims 2015 · archive

Easy

Which of the following brings out the 'Consumer Price Index Number for Industrial Workers'?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) The Labour Bureau

The Labour Bureau, an attached office of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, compiles the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) every month. The RBI, the Department of Economic Affairs and the Department of Personnel and Training do not compile it.

  • ✗ (a) The RBI uses price indices in monetary policy but does not compile CPI-IW. The Labour Bureau does.
  • ✗ (b) The Department of Economic Affairs (Ministry of Finance) does not compile CPI-IW. It is not a data-collection agency for consumer prices.
  • ✓ (c) The Labour Bureau, an attached office of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, compiles CPI-IW every month from retail prices it collects. In the current series these come from 317 markets.
  • ✗ (d) The Department of Personnel and Training deals with civil service personnel matters, not price statistics.

Remember · CPI-IW: Labour Bureau (Ministry of Labour & Employment). CPI-AL/RL: also Labour Bureau. CPI (Combined): NSO/MoSPI.

Sources

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·

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