Consumer price inflation for industrial workers rises to 12.06% in February

Consumer price inflation for industrial workers based on the index of retail prices in the country rose to 12.06 per cent in February on the back of an increase in the prices of food items, electricity, rail fare and petrol.

Consumer price inflation for industrial workers measured in terms of consumer price index for industrial workers (CPI-IW) stood at 1.62 per cent in January this year and 7.57 per cent in February 2012, according to a press release issued by the Labour Bureau.

The all-India CPI-IW for February 2013 rose 2 points to 223 and by 0.90 per cent in percentage terms between January and February compared with 0.51 per cent between the same two months a year ago.

''The year-on-year inflation measured by monthly CPI-IW stood at 12.06 per cent for February 2013 as compared to 11.62 per cent for the previous month and 7.57 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year'', the labour ministry statement said.

Food inflation rose to 14.98 per cent in February against 14.08 per cent of the previous month (January 2013) and 5.08 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year.

The largest upward contribution to the change in current index came from food group, which increased by 1.28 per cent, contributing 1.40 percentage points to the total change.

Food items were followed by miscellaneous and fuel & light groups with 0.62 and 0.80 per cent increase respectively contributing 0.27 and 0.11 percentage points, respectively, to the change.

Cereals such as rice, wheat and wheat atta, fish, goat meat, poultry (chicken), milk, onion, tea (readymade), electricity charges, rail fare and petrol accounted for the highest upward pressure on the index.

However, the price of root vegetables and sugar, effected a downward pressure on the index.

Centrewise, Belgaum and Munger-Jamalpur recorded the largest increase of 7 points each, followed by Vijaywada, Tiruchirapalli and Jharia (6 points each).

On the other hand, in Coimbatore, a 4 point decline was reported in Coimbatore, followed by Tripura and Guwahati (3 points each) and with 7 centres showing 1 point increase.

Indices in as many as 14 centres remained stationary.

The indices of 41 centres were above the all-India index level while in other 36 centres the indices were below national average.

The index of Haldia centre was at par with all-India index.