On January 23, 2025, the Ministry of Labour and Employment released its monthly update on the All-India Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) and Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) for December 2024.
Key Highlights:
Unchanged Indices for December 2024
- The CPI for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL) and Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) remained stable at 1320 and 1331 points respectively, showing no change from November 2024.
Year-on-Year Inflation
- The year-on-year inflation rates for December 2024 stood at:
- 5.01% for CPI-AL (down from 7.71% in December 2023)
- 5.05% for CPI-RL (down from 7.46% in December 2023)
- This reflects a decrease in inflation compared to the same period in 2023.
Comparison with Previous Month
- Compared to November 2024, the inflation rates showed a slight decline:
- 5.35% for CPI-AL in November 2024
- 5.47% for CPI-RL in November 2024
Detailed Index Breakdown:
| Group | Agricultural Labourers (Nov 2024) | Agricultural Labourers (Dec 2024) | Rural Labourers (Nov 2024) | Rural Labourers (Dec 2024) |
| General Index | 1320 | 1320 | 1331 | 1331 |
| Food | 1265 | 1262 | 1272 | 1269 |
| Pan, Supari, etc. | 2086 | 2093 | 2095 | 2100 |
| Fuel & Light | 1375 | 1382 | 1366 | 1372 |
| Clothing, Bedding & Footwear | 1326 | 1329 | 1389 | 1392 |
| Miscellaneous | 1373 | 1376 | 1374 | 1377 |
Insights:
- Stable Consumer Prices: The index figures remained unchanged, indicating a relative stability in the cost of living for agricultural and rural laborers during December 2024.
- Food and Essential Costs: The food index showed a slight dip for agricultural laborers, while it remained largely stable for rural laborers.
- Category-Wise Insights:
- Fuel & Light: Saw a modest increase in both sectors, suggesting a slight uptick in energy prices.
- Clothing and Miscellaneous: Both categories experienced small increases, indicating some rise in costs related to daily living expenses.
Conclusion:
The All-India Consumer Price Index for Agricultural and Rural Labourers in December 2024 reflects a moderate year-on-year inflation rate, indicating some relief in price increases compared to the previous year. While the general indices remained unchanged from the prior month, sector-specific variations show slight increases in energy and clothing-related costs. The data underscores a period of relative price stability, which can provide some relief to laborers in these sectors.
