This is what a Sri Lankan Government official had to say about not including alcohol and tobacco from the new consumer price index:

Sri Lanka's statistics officials said alcohol and tobacco had been dropped from the index because of a government policy against the use of intoxicants known as 'matherter thither.'

The head of price indices at the statistics office, D C A Gunewardene said each country may have to make their own decision and the dropped category was small.

"There is a policy called 'matherter thither', so we did not include it," Gunewardene said. [link]

Sigh. I need a drink..