Consumer price inflation for industrial workers up at 6.16% in January

The All-India CPI-IW for January 2023 increased by 0.5 points year-on-year and by 0.38 per cent with respect to the previous month compared to decrease of 0.24 per cent recorded between corresponding months a year ago.

The maximum upward pressure in current index came from housing group contributing 0.40 percentage points to the total change. At item level, house rent, wheat, wheat atta, cow milk, apple, banana, orange, brinjal, lady finger, kundru, cumin seed/Jira, egg, cooked meal, pan, zarda, medicine, toilet soap, etc are responsible for the rise in index. However, this increase was largely checked by lower prices of potato, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, peas, onion, capsicum, French beans, green coriander leaves, radish, tomato, soyabean oil, sunflower oil, poultry chicken, etc putting downward pressure on the index.

At centre level, Coimbatore recorded the maximum increase of 3 points. Among others, 3 centres recorded increase between 2 and 2.1 points, 14 centres between 1 and 1.9 points and 39 centres between 0.1 and 0.9 points. On the contrary, Labac- Silchar recorded a maximum decrease of 1.5 points. Among others, 4 centers recorded decrease between 1 and 1.3 points and 21 centres between 0.1 and 0.9 points. For the remaining five centers, the index remained stationary.

The Labour Bureau, attached to the ministry of labour and employment, has been compiling consumer price index for industrial workers (CPI-IW) every month on the basis of retail prices collected from 317 markets spread over 88 industrially important centres in the country. The index is compiled for 88 centres and released on the last working day of succeeding month.