Inflation based on the consumer price index for urban non-manual employees (CPI-UNME) was 5.1 per cent in December last year. This is significantly higher than the wholesale-price-index-based inflation of 2.2 per cent in the month.
Between November and December last year, the CPI-UNME slipped mainly due to a fall in the indices for vegetables, pulses, condiments and spices.
Among the four major metros, inflation was the highest in Chennai at 9.9 per cent, followed by Delhi and Mumbai at 5.2 and 4.8 per cent, respectively. Kolkata was the cheapest city with an inflation rate of 3.2 per cent.
Of the 59 urban centres for which data was collected, the percentage increase in the index was higher than the average in 31 centres and lower than the average in 28 centres.