In News:

The Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour& Employment released the All-India Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) and Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) for January 2025.

Key Highlights:

• Inflation Rates:
  • CPI-AL: 4.61%
  • CPI-RL: 4.73%
  • Marked a decline from January 2024, when rates were 7.52% (CPI-AL) and 7.37% (CPI-RL).
  • Also lower than December 2024: 5.01% (CPI-AL) and 5.05% (CPI-RL), indicating easing rural inflation.
• Index Levels:
  • CPI-AL: 1316 (down by 4 points from 1320 in December 2024)
  • CPI-RL: 1328 (down by 3 points from 1331 in December 2024)

Group-wise Index Comparison (Dec 2024 vs Jan 2025):

Group                                               CPI-AL (Dec → Jan)                       CPI-RL (Dec → Jan)

General Index                              1320 → 1316                                  1331 → 1328

Food                                               1262 → 1255                                 1269 → 1261

Pan, Supari, etc.                           2093 → 2103                                2100 → 2111

Fuel & Light                                    1382 → 1390                                1372 → 1380

Clothing, Bedding, Footwear     1329 → 1332                                1392 → 1396

Miscellaneous                               1376 → 1385                                1377 → 1385

About CPI-AL and CPI-RL:

• CPI-AL: Measures cost-of-living changes for agricultural labourers; used for revising minimum wages in agriculture.
• CPI-RL: Captures cost-of-living changes for rural labourers (includes CPI-AL as a subset).
• Compiled monthly for 20 states and at the All-India level.
• Base Year: 1986–87=100 (used to measure price change over time).

Significance:

• Declining CPI reflects lower rural price pressure, beneficial for wage policy formulation, poverty analysis, and rural development planning.