ALLAHABAD:
The postmen in rural areas are also collecting the prices of different food
products and consumer items. This is being done under an agreement signed
between the Central
Statistical Organisation (CSO) and the postal department to prepare consumer
price index (CPI) of the rural areas, said director, postal
services, Allahabad
region, Krishna Kumar Yadav.
He said in rural areas, two different kinds of
surveys are being conducted by the postal employees. One involves the cost
survey of rice, wheat, sugar and kerosene provided to below poverty line (BPL)
card holders or other customers under public
distribution system (PDS).
The second is the survey of articles being sold
in the selected rural areas. Yadav added that around 248 products like pulses,
various milk products, oil, meat, fish, rice, wheat, cereals, corn, vegetables,
fruits, sugar, honey, spices, tea, coffee, tobacco, beetle nut, fuel, shoes,
cosmetics, clothes, bed sheets, mosquito net, medicines, tutor fee, sports
material, phone charges, stationary, and various other domestic products and
services are covered in the survey.
Giving the reasons for the involvement of rural
areas in the index list, Yadav said: "CPI is a medium to find the rate of
inflation. Earlier, inflation was calculated on the basis of the cost price of
the products sold in the urban areas. However, around 70 per cent of the
population lives in rural areas and markets are flourishing in these areas as
well. So, there was a need to include the cost price of the articles sold in
the rural market." Survey is done every month and finally the data is
uploaded on the CSO website by the postal department.
The data collection work is going in 20 selected
post offices in Allahabad
region. Some of them are Sewaith (Phaphamau SO), Lawayan Kalan Uparhar (TSI, SO),
Kokhraj Uperhar (Bharwari SO) and Panara Gopalpur (Sarai Akil SO) in Allahabad
Division, in Ghazipur (Chhawani Line SO) Chhawani Vise, (Zamania SO), Nariyaon
Urf Umarganj, in Mirzapur (Kachhawa SO) Mahamalpur,
source:Times of India
