As the delayed monsoon hampered the kharif sowing schedule and dampened consumer sentiment, the country’s average wage rate declined by 1.5% in July. This was the fifth monthly decline in the 12-month period ending July. Data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) show that the real wage rate fell by a substantial 5.7% in the three months ending in July this year, as the consumer price index (CPI) grew sharply by 2.7% during the same period. Real rural wages declined by a substantial 8.9% compared with 1.9% in urban areas.