Retail inflation for factory worker inches to 10.68% in May

Retail inflation for industrial workers rose marginally to 10.68% in May on account of increase in the prices of food items, cigarette, country Liquor, electricity charges and allopathic medicines.

"The year-on-year inflation measured by monthly CPI-IW stood at 10.68% for May, 2013 as compared to 10.24% for the previous month and 10.16% during the corresponding month of the previous year," a Labour Ministry statement said here.

Similarly, the statement said, "the food inflation stood at 13.24% against 12.39% of the previous month and 10.61% during the corresponding month of the previous year."

According to the statement, the CPI-IW for May rose by 2 points and was pegged at 228 and on one month percentage change, it increased by 0.88% between April and May compared with 0.49% between the same two months a year ago.

The largest upward contribution to the change in current index came from food group which increased by 1.22%, contributing 1.64 percentage points to the total change.

At item level, rice, arhar dal, fish fresh, poultry (chicken), milk, chillies green, garlic, ginger, tomato, root & green vegetables, tea leaf, tea (readymade), cigarette, country liquor prices, electricity charges, medicine (allopathic), and repair charges, are responsible for the rise in index.

However, this (surge in index) was compensated by petrol putting downward pressure on the index.

At centre level, Chennai and Nagpur recorded the largest increase of 8 points each followed by Nasik (7 points) and Warrangal, Coonoor, Hubli Dharwar, Madurai and Tripura (6 points each).

Among others, 5 points rise was registered in 2 centres, 4 points in 14 centres, 3 points in 6 centres, 2 points in 12 centres, and 1 point in 12 centres.

On the contrary, a decline of 6 points was reported in Delhi, 5 points in Ghaziabad and 4 points in Srinagar. A 3 points decline in 2 centres, 2 points in 2 centres and 1 point in 7 centres was also noted. The indices remained stationary in rest of the 10 centres.

While indices of 38 centres are above all-India Index, 38 are below national average. The index of Jabalpur and Haldia centres remained at par with all-India index.