Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (2016=100) – March, 2023

The Labour Bureau, an attached office of the M/o Labour & Employment, has been compiling Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers every month on the basis of retail prices collected from 317 markets spread over 88 industrially important centres in the country. The index is compiled for 88 centres and All-India and is released on the last working day of succeeding month. The index for the month of March, 2023 is being released.

The All-India CPI-IW for March, 2023 increased by 0.6 points and stood at 133.3 (one hundred thirty three point three). On 1-month percentage change, it increased by 0.45 per cent with respect to previous month compared to increase of 0.80 per cent recorded between corresponding months a year ago.

The maximum upward pressure in current index came from Fuel & Light group contributing 0.25 percentage points to the total change. At item level,  Cooking Gas/LPG, Fire wood and Chips, Hospital/Nursing Home Charges, Medicine Allopathic, Motor Cycle/Scooter Mopad, Toilet Soap, Tooth Paste,  Arhar Dal, Cow Milk, Dairy Milk, Fish Fresh, Pure Ghee, Apple, Banana, Cauliflower, Brinjal, Cabbage, Bitter Guard, French bean, Lemon, Peas,  Cumin Seed/Jira, Cooked Meal are responsible for the rise in index. However, this increase was largely checked by Wheat Atta, Rice, Potato, Onion, Drum Stick, Lady Finger, Tomato, Grapes, Soyabean Oil, Sunflower Oil, Mustard Oil, Cotton Seed Oil, Poultry Chicken, Egg-Hen etc. putting downward pressure on the index.

At centre level, Ahmedabad recorded a maximum increase of 3.3 points followed by Jamshedpur and Gurugram with 3.2 and 3.1 points respectively. Among others, 3 centres recorded increase between 2 to 2.9 points, 23 centres between 1 to 1.9 points and 43 centres between 0.1 to 0.9 points. On the contrary, Salem recorded a maximum decrease of 1.4 points followed by Tirunelveli and Tripura with 1.1 and 1 point respectively. Among others, 9 centers recorded decrease between 0.1 to 0.9 points. Rest of four centers index remained stationary.

Year-on-year inflation for the month stood at 5.79 per cent compared to 6.16 per cent for the previous month and 5.35 per cent during the corresponding month a year before. Similarly, Food inflation stood at 5.02 per cent against 6.13 per cent of the previous month and 6.27 per cent during the corresponding month a year ago.

Y-o-Y Inflation based on CPI-IW (Food and General)

All-India Group-wise CPI-IW for February, 2023 and March, 2023

CPI-IW: Groups Indices

The next issue of CPI-IW for the month of April, 2023 will be released on Wednesday, 31^st May, 2023. The same will also be available on the office website www.labourbureau.gov.in.

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MJPS