Question : PRICE INDEX

(a) the names of the commodities included for monitoring of Wholesale Price Index and Consumer Price Index andthe year in which the last commodities included in these index;

(b) whether there has been a liquidation in the Whole Sale Price Index and Consumer Price Index in the last few months;

(c) if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether any decrease registered during each of the last six months till march, 2005;

(e) if so, the details thereof; and

(f) the steps taken to make changes in the method of calculating of Wholesale Price Index and Consumer Price Index?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE (SHRI S.S.PALANIMANICKAM)

(a): A High Powered Price Monitoring Board (HPPMB) in the Cabinet Secretariat monitors the movement of wholesale and retail prices of selected essential commodities which include Rice, Wheat,Atta,Arhar,Gram, Tea, Milk, Sugar, Groundnut Oil, Mustard Oil, Vanaspati, Potato, Onion and Salt.All these items are included in the current Wholesale Price Index (WPi) (base: 1993-94=100) and the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) (base: 1982=100)

(b)& (c): The WPI series with base 1993-94 and CPI-IW series with base 1982 are still in vogue.

(d}& (e): Table showing the increase and decrease in terms of WPI and CPl is indicated below:

Table:	Inflation (%)Over previous year in terms of WPI Inflation(%)overpreviousyearinterms ofCPl(IW)	2004	2004	2004	2005	2005	2005	2004	2004	2004	2005	2005	2005
Items	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb(p)	Mar(p)	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar
Rice	-1.5	-0.1	3.4	2.5	2.9	3.6	-1.1	0.4	0.9	1.3	1.4	NA
Wheat	3.7	1.9	0.3	-1.2	-1.6	-0.4	-1.2	-1.7	-3.0	-2.5	0.5	NA
Wheat	2.1	1.2	-0.6	-1.9	-2.3	0.8	0.9	-1.0	-1.5	-0.9	2.3	NA
(Atta)
Arhar	12.5	3.2	-0.7	-5.6	-6.6	-6.0	10.2	7.8	4.0	2.5	-0.7	NA
Dal
Gram	-5.0	-5.1	4.0	-2.4	-2.1	-0.7	-2.5	-2.3	-2.0	-0.4	-0.7	NA
Dal
Tea-	37.8	35.5	20.7	5.7	10.9	16.7	0.5	1.1	1.6	2.0	3.3	NA
leaves
Milk	4.0	4.4	3.9	4.1	2.8	-0.7	3.7	3.2	2.4	2.0	1.2	NA
Sugar	15.6	15.5	18.9	30.8	19.3	20.5	15.2	16.1	13.8	23.2	19.8	NA
Ground-	4.3	10.9	3.3	-2.3	-5.0	-4.2	3.4	3.0	0.4	-1.9	-2.8	NA
nut Oil
Mustard	-7.1	-9,0	-9.5	-11.2	-16.4	-14.6	-7.9	-9.4	-10.7	-9.1	-5.4	NA
Oil
Vanas-	5.1	3.3	2.2	0.8	-1.6	-2.6	4.9	3.9	1.8	-2.0	-5.1	NA
pati
Potato	89.5	53.7	18.2	32.2	52.0	37.2	53.2	47.0	26.8	6.1	-14.1	NA
Onion	-18.8	-22.1	-30.6	-40.9	-42.6	-26.4	-16.9	-25.2	-30.7	-20.1	-9.6	NA
Salt	17.5	15.0	21.2	34.2	42.6	40.6	-0.1	0.7	0.5	0.9	-29.6	NA
P- provisional	NA: Not Available