Consumer price based inflation falls to 13.33 pc in April

SHIMLA: Inflation based on the consumer price index for industrial workers (CPI-IW) fell marginally to 13.33 per cent in April compared to 14.86 per cent in March, 2010.

Wholesale price-based inflation, on the other hand, stood at 9.59 per cent for April.

The CPI-IW index, which tracks the retail prices of commodities consumed by industrial workers, however, remained stationary at 170 for April, the Labour Bureau said on Tuesday.

There was no change in the index during the past two months and the index remained static at 170 in February, March and April, a Labour Bureau release said.

During April, 2010, the index recorded an increase of 4 points in the Bangalore centre, three points each in Tripura, Rourkela and Asansol and two points at the Labac Sichar, Howrah, Durgapur and Mariani and Jorhat centres. It rose by one point in 18 other centres.

The index decreased by 2 points in the Coimbatore, Ludhiana and Puducherry centres and by 1 point in 12 centres, while it remained static in 19 centres.

The maximum increase of 4 points in the Bangalore centre was mainly on account of an increase in the prices of goat meat, dairy milk, cow milk, vegetable items, snack saltish, cigarettes and synthetic sarees.

The increase of 3 points each in the Tripura, Rourkela, Asansol, Labac, Silchar, Howrah, Durgapur and Mariani Jorhat centres was attributed to an increase in the prices of rice, poultry, goat meat, fresh fish, vegetable items, cigarettes and firewood.

On the other hand, the decrease of 2 points each in the Coimbatore, Ludhiana and Puducherry centres was due to a decrease in the prices of rice, wheat, wheat atta, onions and sugar.

The indices for six major centres are: Ahmedabad 164, Bangalore 179, Chennai 156, Delhi 158, Kolkata 168 and Mumbai 167.