Hyderabad: Telangana posted the highest inflation rate in the country in Jan at 4.92%, marking a sharp turnaround after recording negative inflation in recent months. Kerala followed with 3.67%, Tamil Nadu at 3.36%, Rajasthan at 3.17% and Karnataka at 2.99% for Jan. Jan inflation rate of 4.92% places Telangana above the Reserve Bank of India’s recommended range of 2% to 3%, raising concerns over price pressures in the state.
The latest data assumes significance as it is the first after the Union ministry of statistics and programme implementation revised the weightages assigned to various items in the consumer price index (CPI). Every revision of the index involves changes in the technical compilation process, including updates to the basket of goods and the standards used for calculation. Notable shiftIn the new series, food items have seen a notable shift in weight. The adjustment due to changes in the basket accounts for 5.76%, while the change in standards adds another 3.3%. Together, this has resulted in food carrying a revised weight of 36.8% in the updated CPI. The CPI-2024 series has also widened its geographical coverage and the number of items tracked. Across the country, 565 new rural and urban markets have been added compared to the 2012 series. In Telangana, the number of rural markets used for price collection has increased from 20 in 2012 to 50 in 2024. Urban markets have risen from 26 to 39 during the same period. CPI calculations in the state will now draw data from 10 towns instead of five earlier, experts explained.
