By IANS,
New Delhi: The problem of inflation has worsened across India but the price rise has been sharper in rural areas than urban, official data showed Monday.
The consumer price index for rural areas jumped by 9 percent in May, while that for urban areas rose by 5 percent, according to data released by the Central Statistics Office.
In a bid to monitor price movements in the different parts of the country, the statistics office introduced separate barometers of inflation for rural and urban areas in February this year.
The new series is based on 2010 price level.
Combined inflation (rural plus urban) based on consumer price index rose to 7 percent in May from 6 percent in the previous month.
Prices of household commodities, personal care, transport, communication, and recreation and amusement rose more sharply in rural areas than urban.
To monitor the price movement in rural areas, the government has selected 1,181 villages, while the urban areas indicator is based on the data collected from 310 towns, which include capitals of all states and the union territories.