Retail inflation for industrial workers up 3.24% in October

An Indian vegetable seller sorts onions at a roadside market in Siliguri on November 28, 2017. The price of onions have risen sharply in the past few months, quadrupling to as much as 65 rupees a kilogram in some parts of the country and turning the vegetable into an unaffordable luxury for the poor. / AFP PHOTO / DIPTENDU DUTTA

Retail inflation for industrial workers has risen marginally to 3.24% in October, mainly on account of a surge in price of food items.

"The year-on-year inflation measured by monthly CPI-IW, consumer price index for industrial workers, stood at 3.24% for October, 2017, as compared to 2.89% for the previous month (September 2017), and 3.35% during the corresponding month of the previous year," a Labour Ministry statement said.

Food inflation stood at 2.26%, against 1.30% in September, and 2.99% during the corresponding month of the previous year. Food group contributed 1.94 percentage points to the total change.

The all-India CPI-IW for October, 2017 increased by two points and pegged at 287.

At the centre level, Darjeeling and Tiruchirapally reported the maximum increase of 10 points each, followed by Munger-Jamalpur (8 points), and Puducherry (7 points).

Among others, six-point increase was observed in two centres, five points in eight centres, four points in seven centres, three points in eight centres, two points in 19 centres and one point in 14 centres.

On the contrary, Mercara recorded a maximum decrease of four points followed by Goa and Bhavnagar (three points each). Among others, two points decrease was observed in one centre and one point in another six centres. Rest of the six centres; indices remained stationary.

The indices of 33 centres are above all-India index and 43 centres' indices are below national average. The indices of Madurai and Amritsar centres remained at par with the all-India index.