Nepal Rastra Bank Hands Over CPI Responsibility to National Statistics Office

23rd June 2026, Kathmandu

Nepal Rastra Bank has officially started the process to transfer the collection, processing, and regular publication of the Consumer Price Index to the National Statistics Office.

NRB Hands CPI Responsibility

The landmark administrative decision was finalized during a high level meeting of the National Statistics Council. The council meeting was chaired directly by the Vice Chairperson of the National Planning Commission. This strategic shift separates data gathering from the primary monetary policymaker, ensuring that national inflation metrics are managed by the central state statistics department.

Detailed Review of the Structural Handover and Transition Timeline

The execution of this institutional handover uses a phased approach designed to prevent any disruptions in the reporting of sensitive economic metrics.

The transition framework includes the following core operational guidelines:

• Lead Coordinating Authority: National Statistics Office, under Chief Statistics Officer Dr. Kamal Prasad Pokhrel.
• Retiring Data Collector: Nepal Rastra Bank, which previously handled monthly macroeconomic and inflation data reporting.
• Transition Management Window: A structured one year technical cooperation period.
• Institutional Support Protocols: The central bank will provide ongoing technical, administrative, and managerial support to the statistics office.
• Human Resource Integration: Specialized staff from the statistics office will work alongside central bank researchers to absorb legacy data systems.

Understanding the Critical Role of Consumer Price Index Metrics in National Economics

The Consumer Price Index serves as a foundational metric for evaluating the real purchasing power of citizens and tracking general macroeconomic trends across domestic markets.

A reliable consumer index is necessary for running several vital public and private financial structures, including:

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• Providing exact data for measuring nationwide inflation and price changes
• Formulating responsive annual monetary policy and government fiscal budgets
• Calculating regular cost of living adjustments for public and private sector salaries
• Guiding corporate pricing structures and assessing general market conditions

By ensuring high transparency in tracking food, housing, transport, and energy prices, the index directly affects how public resources are managed.

Background History and Reversing Institutional Data Roles

The responsibility for managing the national index has moved between different state organs over past decades to meet changing administrative needs.

In earlier financial periods, the duty sat with the central statistics bureau, but the government later moved the operation to the central bank to ensure timely monthly data releases. The latest decision reverses that old framework, bringing price statistics back under the unified national statistics system. This realignment helps resolve institutional overlaps, allowing the central bank to focus fully on managing banking liquidity and exchange rates while the statistics office oversees national data gathering.

Enhancing Statistical Independence and Upgrading Long Term Economic Reporting

Centralizing data gathering under a single specialized state entity plays an important role in boosting international trust in domestic economic metrics.

When a country keeps its inflation measurement independent from the central bank that sets interest rates, it follows a recognized global standard of governance. This separation reduces potential institutional conflicts, making economic reporting more transparent for international development banks and foreign investors. As the National Statistics Office completes its one year training phase and assumes full control over price indexing, this cooperative model will strengthen national economic research and improve the accuracy of public policy planning across Nepal.

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