Fruits and protein-based items became more expensive during April, though the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) based on retail prices remained stable at 106 points during the month.
The index was recorded at the same level in March. At the all-India level, the index for fruits rose by 10% to 131 points in April vis-a-vis March.
Similarly, the indices for egg, fish and meat went up by almost 2% in April vis-a-vis March to 110 points, while milk went up marginally to 110 points.
There was also a 3.64% rise in retail prices of pan and tobacco to 114 points, while condiments and spices were up by 1.75 per cent at 116 points. However, vegetable prices fell by 4 per cent in the month under review to 95 points.
Overall, the 'food, beverages and tobacco' segment of the CPI moved up to 107 points in April from 106 in the previous month.
While the CPI, according to the new series, increased to 106 in April this year from a base of 100 in 2010, the government will wait "till the series gets stabilised" and adequate timely receipt of price data is achieved before it begins to release the retail inflation figures from next year.
More From This Section
As per the data released by the government today, the general indices for rural and urban consumers stood at 108 and 105 points, respectively. In March, the general indices for rural, urban and combined consumers had stood at 107, 104 and 106 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, the February numbers have been maintained at the original estimates of 107 points for rural consumers and 104 points for urban consumers. The combined index in February was recorded at 105 points.
These consumer indices have been released for five major groups -- food, beverages and tobacco; fuel and light; housing; clothing, bedding and footwear; and miscellaneous items.
While 'Fuel and light' was up marginally up at 108 points in April, as against 107 in March, 'clothing, bedding and footwear' stood at 112 points on an all-India basis in the month under review, marginally up from 110 in the previous month.
The CPI for miscellaneous items was pegged at 106 points on a countrywide basis in April, up from 105 in March.
The new CPI was introduced to reflect the actual movement of prices at the micro-level and help policy-makers like the RBI in better framing of decisions.
According to experts, with the passage of the time, the new index would take over Wholesale Price Index (WPI) as the main benchmark to measure inflation.