The Labour Ministry has said that retail inflation for agricultural labourers and rural workers remained almost flat at 7% and 7.02%, respectively, in May 2024. The comparative figures in the previous month were 7.03% and 6.96%, respectively. The corresponding figures in May 2023 were 5.99% for Consumer Price Index-Agricultural Labourers (CPI- AL) and 5.84% for Consumer Price Index-Rural Labourers (CPI-RL).
The point-on-point inflation rate based on CPI-AL was recorded at 7% in May, showing a deceleration from 7.03% in April 2024. Conversely, for CPI-RL, the inflation rate was recorded at 7.02% in May, a marginal increase from 6.96% in the preceding month. The All-India Consumer Price Index for agricultural labourers and rural labourers registered an increase of 6 points each in May, reaching levels of 1,269 and 1,281, respectively. The CPI-AL and CPI-RL stood at 1,263 and 1,275, respectively, in April.
The main items that drove the indices were vegetables, pulses, wheat (atta), milk, turmeric whole, ginger, fish, jowar, pan leaf, medicines, shirts, saree, leather sandals, among others, the statement said. A diverse pattern was observed in the indices of constituent states. Bihar experienced a decline for both CPI–AL and RL. The index of agricultural labourers remained stationary for Jammu and Kashmir.
