Retail inflation eases to 3.61 pc in Feb: Govt data
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI): Retail inflation slipped to 3.61 per cent in February mainly due to the decline in the rate of price rise in vegetables and protein-rich items, creating space for the Reserve Bank of India for second reduction in interest rate next month.
The consumer price index-based retail inflation was at 4.26 per cent in January and 5.09 per cent in February 2024.
The year-on-year inflation rate for February 2025 was 3.75 per cent, showed the data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO).
"A sharp decline of 222 basis points is observed in food inflation in February 2025 in comparison to January 2025. The food inflation in February 2025 is the lowest after May 2023," it said.
The NSO said the significant decline in headline inflation and food inflation during February is mainly attributed to the decline in inflation of vegetables, egg, meat, and fish, pulses and products; and milk and products.
The RBI, which has been mandated to ensure retail inflation remains at 4 per cent (+/- 2 per cent), has reduced the short-term lending rate (repo) by 25 basis points last month on easing concerns on the inflation front.
The central bank is scheduled to announce the next set of bi-monthly monetary policy on April 9.
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Delhi's air quality in 'very poor' category at 386, 'severe' at 16 stations
New Delhi (PTI): The air quality in the national capital was recorded in the "very poor" category on Sunday morning, with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 386, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Data from the CPCB's Sameer app revealed that 16 monitoring stations in the city reported air quality in the "severe" category, while the remaining stations recorded "very poor" levels.
As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe".
The minimum temperature settled at 9.4 degrees Celsius, which is 1.3 degrees above the season's average, while the humidity was recorded at 91 per cent at 8:30 am, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 17 degrees Celsius, with the IMD forecasting a yellow alert for the city due to moderate fog.
