Retail Inflation Slows To 4.29% In April Mainly Due To Lower Food Prices

The inflation in the food basket was 2.02 percent in April, down from 4.87 percent in the preceding month, according to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

New Delhi: The retail inflation slowed to 4.29 percent in April from 5.52 percent in March, mainly due to lower food prices, the government data showed on Wednesday.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) mainly factors in the retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) while arriving at its monetary policy.

The inflation in the food basket was 2.02 percent in April, down from 4.87 percent in the preceding month, according to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

“Year on year rate of inflation (%) based on All India Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for April 2021 #KnowYourStats #DataForDevelopment,”  the ministry also shared the same on its official Twitter handle.

ICRA Chief Economist Aditi Nayar said the CPI inflation dipped to a three-month low in April 2021 given the high base related to the supply disruptions seen during the nationwide lockdown in April last year while printing somewhat higher than the expectations.

Overall, the prevailing localised restrictions appear to have had a limited impact on prices in April 2021, PTI reported Nayar as saying.

The change in the price index over a period of time is referred to as CPI-based inflation or retail inflation.