THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state recorded the third lowest retail inflation rate, 4.28%, in the country in December. Delhi (2.95%) and Kashmir (4.15%) preceded the state in terms of lowest inflation rate, said the data recently released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Though retail inflation jumped to a four-month high of 5.69% in December in the national average, it remained within the RBI’s tolerance band of 2-6%.
Meanwhile, category-wise consumer price indices (CPIs) for Kerala showed food prices were higher here than the national average. CPI for food basket was 195.3 against the country’s 191.2. The index for this basket is calculated on the basis of prices of 12 categories of food items like cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, meat, milk products and others.
The National Statistical Office (NSO) computes the inflation rate considering six baskets of goods and services, namely ‘food and beverages’, ‘pan, tobacco and intoxicants’, ‘clothing and footwear’, ‘housing’, ‘fuel and light’, and ‘miscellaneous’.
The ‘fuel and light’ basket comprises energy products such as LPG, kerosene, and electricity. Kerala’s CPI for this basket stood at 197.6 in December, lower than the national figure of 180.2. The state’s index for the ‘housing’ basket, determined by urban rental prices, was 184.1, higher than the national average of 176.9.
Lowest retail inflation rates
Delhi: 2.95%
Jammu & Kashmir: 4.15%
Kerala: 4.28%
Chhattisgarh: 4.49%
Uttarakhand: 4.73%