New Delhi, March 12 (IANS) India’s inflation rate, based on the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) series with 2024 as the base year, edged up to 3.21 per cent for February compared to the same month of the previous year, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics on Thursday.

There was an increase of 0.47 per cent in the CPI inflation in February compared to the revised figure of 2.74 per cent for January this year, when the new series was launched.

However, there was a more than 10 per cent decline in the index of key vegetables, including tomato, peas, and cauliflower, in February compared with January, the figures showed.

Overall food inflation for the month of February compared to the same month of the previous year stood at 3.47 per cent, while housing inflation was estimated at 2.12 per cent.

Real-time price data are collected from selected 1407 urban markets (including online markets) and 1465 villages covering all states and UTs through personal visits by field staff of the Field Operations Division of the NSO, MoSPI, on a weekly roster. During the month of February, 2026, prices were collected from 100 per cent rural and urban markets, while the market-wise prices reported therein were 99.89 per cent for rural markets and 99.78 per cent for urban markets, the official statement explained.

The base for the Consumer Price Index has now been revised from 2012 to 2024 using the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24 for the first time in January this year.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) with Base 2024=100, while the item basket and the corresponding weights are based on the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24. The exercise is being done to enhance the coverage and representativeness of the inflation measure. The revision introduces more granular data, enabling policymakers, financial institutions, businesses and citizens with precise data-driven decisions, according to an official statement.

–IANS

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