Note: Corrects the inflation figures in the first paragraph
India's annual inflation rate, based on the all India general Consumer Price Index, or CPI, as per base year 2010, for April stood at 10.36 percent, up from the preceding month's 9.38 percent as per the nation-wide retail inflation data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation on Friday, indicating an increase in prices for the month under review.
The index on base year 2010=100 for all-India and States/Union Territories separately for rural, urban and combined, every month from January was introduced by the Ministry of Statistics.
As per data, the corresponding inflation rate for rural was 9.86 percent, while that of urban was 11.10 percent, reinforcing that urban cost of living was higher than rural areas. The overall data combine both urban and rural numbers.
Vegetables were costlier by 24.55 percent on a nationwide basis in April over the same month last year, while oil and fats became dearer by 17.63 percent and milk and products by 14.94 percent in the month.
Clothing, bedding, footwear became 11.95 percent more expensive on an annual basis, while fuel and light went up by 11.40 percent in April.
In rural and urban areas, inflation in the food and beverages category stood at 9.87 percent and 10.69 percent, respectively.
The all India CPI will be in addition to the three retail price indices -- for agricultural laborers, rural laborers and industrial workers -- prepared by the Ministry of Labor.
The CPI, introduced a year ago, will exist alongside the prevailing WPI, followed in India to gauge inflation. Headline Inflation as measured by the WPI rose to 7.23 percent in April.
The CPI data tracks retail prices in five major food groups -fuel and light, housing, clothing and miscellaneous - across rural and urban India, providing a comprehensive reference point for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to take effective monetary policy measures to deal with inflation.
The CPI also reflects price movements in the services sector, which makes up around 55 percent of India's economy but is not included in the WPI.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.