New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) Retail inflation for industrial workers eased to 5.09 per cent in April from 5.79 per cent in March this year mainly due to lower prices of certain food items.

"Year-on-year inflation for the month stood at 5.09 per cent compared to 5.79 per cent for the previous month and 6.33 per cent during the corresponding month a year before," a labour ministry statement said.

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Similarly, it stated that the food inflation stood at 4.16 per cent against 5.02 per cent of the previous month and 7.05 per cent during the corresponding month a year ago.

The All-India CPI-IW (consumer price index for industrial workers) for April, 2023 increased by 0.9 points and stood at 134.2 points. It was 133.3 points in March 2023.

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The maximum upward pressure in the current index came from Food & Beverages group contributing 0.39 percentage points to the total change.

At the item level, Rice, Arhar Dal, Apple, Banana, Orange, Cauliflower, Brinjal, Cabbage, Ginger, Peas, Dairy Milk, French bean, Lemon, Cumin seed/Jira, Chillies dry, Cooked Meal, Poultry Chicken, Ladies Suiting, etc. are responsible for the rise in the index.

However, this increase was largely checked by Wheat Atta, Tomato, Onion, Drum Stick, Lady's Finger, Mango, Soyabean Oil, Sunflower Oil, Mustard Oil, Egg-Hen, Electricity Domestic, Firewood and Chips, etc. putting downward pressure on the index.

At the centre level, Howrah recorded a maximum increase of 4.1 points. Among others, four centres recorded an increase between 2 to 2.9 points, 30 centres between 1 to 1.9 points and 37 centres between 0.1 to 0.9 points.

On the contrary, Salem recorded a maximum decrease of 1.9 points. Among others, 11 centres recorded decrease between 0.1 to 0.9 points. Rest of the four centres the index remained stationary.

The Labour Bureau 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 the succeeding month.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)