Retail Inflation For Farm, Rural Workers Drops in July Due to Lower Food Item Prices: Labour Ministry

The major contribution towards the rise in general index of agricultural labourers and rural labourers came from food, with 2.49 points and 2.64 points, respectively mainly due to rise in prices of arhar dal, masur dal, ground nut oil, meat goat, poultry, vegetables and fruits etc. The rise/fall in index varied from state to state.

In case of agricultural labourers, it recorded an increase of 1 to 15 points in 17 states and a decrease of 3 to 8 points in 3 states. Tamil Nadu with 1,216 points topped the index table whereas Himachal Pradesh with 786 points stood at the bottom.

In case of rural labourers, it recorded an increase of 1 to 14 points in 15 states and a decrease of 1 to 5 points in 4 states while it remained stationary in Rajasthan. Tamil Nadu with 1,202 points topped the index table whereas Himachal Pradesh with 838 points stood at the bottom. Commenting on this, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said, “Despite the unfavorable situation in the country owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the measures taken by the government have been able to control the inflation during this period.”