A surge in the price levels of food, clothing and fuel items pushed up the Consumer Price Index (CPI) by 1.25 per cent on a sequential basis in September.
The CPI based on retail prices was recorded at 113.1 points in September, compared with 111.7 points in August, according to data released by the Government on Tuesday.
At an all-India level, the Index for ‘food, beverages and tobacco' was up sequentially by 1.34 per cent to 113.2 points in September from 111.7 points in the previous month. The main increase was seen in case of vegetables, with the Index rising by 3.44 per cent month-on-month, while the indices for milk and milk products went up by over 2.07 per cent. The ‘fuel and light' inflation surged 1.46 per cent in September vis-à-vis the previous month, with the index inching up to 118.1 points from 116.4 points in August. In September, the CPI for ‘clothing, bedding and footwear' stood at 119.4 points on an all-India basis, as against 117.7 points in August, an increase of 1.44 per cent. The index for ‘Housing' was up 1.12 per cent month-on- month at 108.8 points in September, up from 107.6 points in August.
This is the fourth month that housing prices have been factored into the CPI data. However, the data was compiled only for urban areas. The miscellaneous items index rose by 1.09 per cent on a sequential basis in September, with the index rising to 111.5 points on a countrywide basis in the month under review from 110.3 points in the previous month.