New Delhi:
India’s retail inflation has dipped to a 25-month low of 4.25 per cent in May, mainly driven by softening prices of food and fuel items. At 4.25 per cent, the retail inflation is the lowest since April 2021 when it was 4.23 per cent.
The retail inflation – down from April’s 4.7 per cent – is below the Reserve Bank of India’s six per cent comfort zone for the third straight month.
The government has tasked the central bank to ensure retail inflation remains at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side.
Inflation for the food basket was at 2.91 per cent in May, lower than 3.84 per cent in April. The food basket accounts for nearly half of the Consumer Price Index or CPI.
Inflation in fuel and light eased to 4.64 per cent, from 5.52 per cent in April.
Last week, the Reserve Bank kept policy rates unchanged at 6.5 per cent and projected retail inflation for the current fiscal to average at 5.1 per cent, with June quarter inflation pegged at 4.6 per cent.