RAS question
What was the WPI (All Commodities) increase in Rajasthan in 2024 over 2023?
Correct answer: (A) 1.75%.
Rajasthan's Wholesale Price Index for All Commodities increased by 1.75 per cent in 2024 over 2023.
Explanation
The increase was 1.75 per cent because Rajasthan's WPI for All Commodities moved from 387.90 in 2023 to 394.68 in 2024. The official Economic Review treats WPI as the broad index for wholesale-level price movements, so the relevant figure is the All Commodities change, not a sub-group or a retail-price index. Primary Articles rose by 4.16 per cent, while Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants declined, so those category-specific movements should not be confused with the overall WPI answer. The All Commodities series is the controlling reference for the 2024-over-2023 WPI increase.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) 4.16 per cent is the increase for Primary Articles, not the All Commodities WPI asked in the question.
- (C) 0.54 per cent relates to the 2023-over-2022 change, whereas the question asks for the 2024-over-2023 increase.
- (D) 3.67 per cent refers to the All India CPI-IW increase, so it is a retail-price index figure rather than Rajasthan's WPI for All Commodities.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan economy indicators, especially the distinction between wholesale price indices, sub-group movements and consumer price indices. It recurs in RAS because Economic Review tables often ask candidates to match the correct index, base series and year-on-year change without mixing categories.