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Consumers in Meghalaya were the worst-affected by soaring prices of consumer goods in the year to April 2012. They witnessed the maximum rise in prices across India, with rates shooting up by 17.2 per cent, as per Consumer Price Index numbers.
On the whole, rural and urban consumers across India saw prices across the country increase by 10.4 per cent on an average during the one-year period.
The price rise in the State was felt more in rural areas than urban areas. Rural consumers in Meghalaya saw a 20 per cent rise in the price of the commodities they consume, but those in urban areas experienced only a 7.9 per cent jump in the cost of foodstuff, fuel, household articles and services.
The sharp rise in prices in Meghalaya vis-à-vis other parts of the country appears to have been on account of frequent road blockades and agitations that have prevented supply of essential items.
In contrast, Manipur witnessed just a 6.7 per cent increase in prices during the period.
Other north-eastern states like Tripura (6.6 per cent), Nagaland (8.2 per cent), Sikkim (7 per cent) and Assam (6.7 per cent) also witnessed a more moderate rise in prices between April 2011 and April 2012.
Broad-based inflation
Tamil Nadu was the worst-affected State after Meghalaya, with prices rising by 12.7 per cent during the one-year period. Rajasthan (12.5 per cent), Gujarat (11.7 per cent), Delhi (11.7 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (11 per cent) and Uttarakhand (11.6 per cent) were among the states that witnessed a rise in prices higher than the all-India average.
On the other hand, Haryana (8.3 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (10.1 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (10.2 per cent), West Bengal (10.1 per cent), Bihar (10 per cent), Maharashtra (9.7 per cent) and Punjab (9.2 per cent) saw a lower rate of price rise than the rest of the country.
>arvind.jayaram@thehindu.co.in
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