Consumer price index up marginally in March

The new Consumer Price Index (CPI), introduced earlier this year, rose marginally by 1 point in March against 105 points in February this year.

While the CPI, according to the new series unveiled in January this year, has increased to 106 in March against the base of 100 in 2010, the exact inflation figures would only be released from next year.

According to the data released by the Government today, the general indices for rural and urban stood at 107 and 104 points, respectively, in March.

In February, CPI overall had stood at 105, while the indices for rural and urban were reported at 107 and 104.

“The general indices for rural, urban and combined...are more or less the same level of February 2011,” the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said.

Meanwhile, the combined index for January has been maintained at 106 points.

The new CPI is intended to reflect the actual movement of prices at the micro-level and help policymakers like the RBI to frame decisions better.

Releasing the new series, the Government had earlier said it would continue the practice of giving figures in the present form for one year without quoting the inflation rate “till the series gets stabilised” and adequate timely receipt of price data was achieved.

The new consumer indices cover five major groups — food, beverages and tobacco; fuel and light; housing; clothing, bedding and footwear; and miscellaneous items.