By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, MAY 01, 2021: THE retail inflation for industrial workers increased by 0.6 per cent in March in comparison to the previous month, going up to 5.64 per cent with maximum upward pressure in the food and fuel basket, said the Ministry of Labour on Friday.

The All-India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) for March increased by 0.6 points and stood at 119.6 points compared to 119 points in February.

It increased by 0.5 per cent from February whereas there was a decline of 0.61 per cent between corresponding months a year ago.

Similarly, food inflation also rose to 5.36 per cent from 4.64 per cent in February. Meanwhile, the fuel and light group contributed 0.4 percentage points to the total change.

"Year-on-year inflation for the month [March, 2021] stood at 5.64 per cent compared to 4.48 per cent for the previous month [February, 2021] and 5.5 per cent during the corresponding month of the previous year [March, 2020]," the ministry said.

At the item level, cooking gas, petrol, poultry chicken, edible oils, apple, orange, tea leaf, served and processed packaged food pushed the index up. However, this increase was mostly checked by vegetables.

The ministry welcomed the increase in the index saying it will result in an increase of wages of working class population by way of increase in dearness allowance payable to them.