Finance1 min read

RBI brings a tri-survey strategy ahead of MPC meet

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The periodic exercises are strategically scheduled to deliver critical policy inputs prior to the Monetary Policy Committee meeting set for December 2 to 4, 2026. While two studies examine city-based inflation perceptions and general economic assessments across 19 major cities, a third study expands across rural and semi-urban households. In particular, the Rural Consumer Confidence Survey spans 31 states and Union Territories to capture forward-looking and current outlooks on employment, income, and spending. Together, these complementary efforts measure real-world conditions based on individual consumption baskets and personal financial experiences.

Key points

  • Results from the three consumer surveys will supply critical direct inputs for upcoming m…: Results from the three consumer surveys will supply critical direct inputs for upcoming monetary policy decisions.
  • Urban households are providing qualitative assessments on current price movements, employ…: Urban households are providing qualitative assessments on current price movements, employment scenarios, and general economic health.
  • Rural households are contributing both current perceptions and one-year-ahead outlooks re…: Rural households are contributing both current perceptions and one-year-ahead outlooks regarding household income and expenditure levels.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

The central bank has initiated the November 2026 round of its Inflation Expectations Survey of Households (IESH), which seeks to capture people's perceptions of price movements and inflation based on their individual consumption baskets.

The survey will cover 19 cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Raipur, Ranchi and Thiruvananthapuram.

The RBI has also launched its Urban Consumer Confidence Survey, which gathers qualitative responses from households on their assessment of the general economic situation, employment prospects, price levels, income and spending.

This survey will also be conducted across the same 19 cities.

The third exercise, the Rural Consumer Confidence Survey, will capture households' current perceptions and one-year-ahead expectations on the overall economic situation, employment conditions, price levels, income and spending. It will cover rural and semi-urban households across 31 states and Union Territories.

The RBI conducts all three surveys periodically, with their findings providing inputs for its monetary policy assessments.

The next meeting of the RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is scheduled to be held from December 2 to 4,…

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