NEW DELHI: India’s retail inflation rate in March eased to 5.91 per cent, mainly on account of lower food and fuel prices and a fall in demand for non-essential items amid a nationwide lockdown to contain the Covid-19. Retail inflation for the month of February was 6.58 per cent.
Data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Monday, showed core inflation for the month remained unchanged at 4.1 per cent month-on-month. “Keeping in view the preventive measures taken by NSO and announcement of nation-wide lockdown by the Government to check spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the field work for price collection of Consumer Price Index was suspended with effect from March 19, this year and about 66 per cent of price quotations were received,” it said.
Food price inflation cooled down further at 8.76 per cent in March, against 10.81 per cent in February. Vegetables inflation for March stood at 18.63 per cent against 31.61 per cent in February.Inflation rate in cereals stood at 5.30 per cent for March against 5.23 per cent a month ago, while pulses recorded an inflation of 15.85 per cent, against 16.61 per cent. Prices of meat and fish came in at 9.15 per cent, against 10.2 per cent last month. In the fuel and light category, inflation for March was seen at 6.59 per cent against 6.36 per cent in Feb.