Government not to release weekly inflation data

The government will not release weekly inflation number anymore, after the numbers were criticised for providing a mislead-ing picture of inflation.

The government currently releases weekly inflation data on primary articles, which includes food articles, and fuel and power. The headline inflation data is released once a month.

The union cabinet on Tuesday decided to stop the weekly releases. "The data will now come on a monthly basis," said public information officer Neelam Kapur.

The reduced frequency of data release will also help take attention off from the price rise issue that is debated every week because of the food and inflation numbers.

The move, according to economists, will help to give a better and holistic picture of the inflation scenario in the country.