In September 2003, the city had an index of 500 compared, which is marginally less than that of August, 2003. The index for the city was 485 as on September 2002, while that for Chandigarh is 531.
However the all India index has remained unchanged from August to September.
The index which takes 1984-85 as the base year, is based on statistics compiled from 59 leading cities in the country. While the all India average for the April to September 2003 period is 411, 36 cities have recorded a higher average.
The release issued by the Ministry of Statistics and programme and Implementation says the major cause for the increase in price level this year is because of transport and communications.
Among the other three metros, the index for Delhi is 429 while that for Mumbai is 411. The index of Kolkata is 382.
