New Delhi, May 13 (PTI) Retail inflation declined to a nearly 6-year low of 3.16 per cent in April, mainly on account of subdued prices of vegetables, fruits, pulses, and other protein-rich items, and remains within the comfort zone of the Reserve Bank.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation was 3.34 per cent in March and 4.83 per cent in April 2024. It was 3.15 per cent in July 2019.

Also Read | Bihar: BSF Jawan Rambabu Prasad Wounded in Pakistan Shelling at Jammu and Kashmir Border Dies.

Food inflation in April was 1.78 per cent, lower than 2.69 per cent in the preceding month and 8.7 per cent in the year-ago month.

The Reserve Bank, which has been mandated to ensure inflation remains at 4 per cent with a margin of 2 per cent on either side, has slashed the key interest rate by 50 basis points in two tranches as the price situation improved.

Also Read | CBSE Results 2025: No Merit Lists, Divisions in CBSE Class 10, 12 Board Exams; Certificates to Top 0.1% Students.

The central bank has projected the CPI inflation for the financial year 2025-26 at 4 per cent, with Q1 at 3.6 per cent; Q2 at 3.9 per cent; Q3 at 3.8 per cent; and Q4 at 4.4 per cent. PTI NKD CS

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)