Kerala recorded the highest retail inflation rate of 5.94 percent in April, even as the national print came in at a six-year low. Telangana saw the lowest rise in prices at 1.26 percent, the government latest consumer price index data shows.
India's annual retail inflation fell to 3.16 percent in April, down from 3.34 percent in March, data released on May 13 showed. This is the third month in a row that inflation remained below the Reserve Bank of India's target of 4 percent,
April's figure was the lowest inflation in nearly six years, driven by a broad-based drop in food prices. Food inflation declined to 1.78 percent, as prices of vegetables, pulses, fruits, meat and fish declined further.
After Kerala, its southern neighbour, Karnataka, has the highest inflation rate at 4.26 percent. Jammu and Kashmir followed with 4.25 percent. Other states that recorded high retail inflation include Punjab (4.09 percent), Uttarakhand (3.81 percent), Maharashtra (3.56 percent), Haryana (3.51 percent), Tamil Nadu (3.41 percent) and West Bengal (3.16 percent).
Here is a list of 10 states with high retail inflation in April:
| State | Rural Inflation rate | Urban Inflation rate | Combined inflation rate | |
| 1 | Kerala | 6.46% | 4.91% | 5.94% |
| 2 | Karnataka | 4.03% | 4.50% | 4.26% |
| 3 | Jammu and Kashmir | 4.62% | 3.58% | 4.25% |
| 4 | Punjab | 4.29% | 3.86% | 4.09% |
| 5 | Uttarakhand | 3.18% | 4.92% | 3.81% |
| 6 | Maharashtra | 2.78% | 3.93% | 3.56% |
| 7 | Haryana | 3.31% | 3.75% | 3.51% |
| 8 | Tamil Nadu | 3.08% | 3.63% | 3.41% |
| 9 | West Bengal | 2.99% | 3.39% | 3.16% |
| 10 | Chhattisgarh | 3.3% | 2.78% | 3.09% |
The states which recorded the lower inflation also include Delhi (1.77 percent), Rajasthan (2.16 percent), Jharkhand (2.18 percent) and Odisha (2.5 percent).
Here's a list of states which reported the lowest retail inflation in April:
| State | Rural Inflation rate | Urban Inflation rate | Combined inflation rate | |
| 1 | Telangana | 0.44% | 1.99% | 1.26% |
| 2 | Delhi | 2.65% | 1.71% | 1.77% |
| 3 | Rajasthan | 2.10% | 2.34% | 2.16% |
| 4 | Jharkhand | 1.54% | 3.19% | 2.18% |
| 5 | Odisha | 2.57% | 2.25% | 2.50% |
| 6 | Uttar Pradesh | 2.40% | 2.69% | 2.51% |
| 7 | Gujarat | 2.49% | 2.46% | 2.51% |
| 8 | Andhra Pradesh | 2.28% | 3.06% | 2.59% |
| 9 | Himachal Pradesh | 2.62% | 2.72% | 2.61% |
Economists expect a marginal rise in May. "While the recent rise in temperatures in north India and unseasonal rainfall in parts of peninsular India may cause a spike in vegetable prices in the second half of May, boosting the CPI inflation print, we project it to print around 3.5 percent in the ongoing month," said Aditi Nayar, Chief Economist and Head – Research & Outreach at ICRA Limited.
Also read: WPI inflation eases to 0.85% in April, lowest in 13 months
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