The retail inflation in March dipped marginally to a nearly six-year low of 3.34 per cent amid decline in prices of vegetables and protein-rich items.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation was 3.61 per cent in February and 4.85 per cent in March last year.

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The significant decline in headline inflation and food inflation during March is mainly attributed to decline in inflation of Vegetables, Eggs, Pulses & products, Meat & fish, Cereals & Products and Milk & products.

The year-on-year inflation rate based on the All India Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) for March is 2.69 per cent (Provisional). Corresponding inflation rates for rural and urban are 2.82 per cent and 2.48 per cent, respectively.

A sharp decline in headline and food inflation in the rural sector was observed in March 2025. The headline inflation is 3.25 per cent (provisional) in March 2025 while the same was 3.79 per cent in February 2025.

In the urban sector, a marginal increase from 3.32 per cent in February to 3.43 per cent (Provisional) in March is observed in the headline inflation of the urban sector.

Further, the housing inflation rate for the month of March was recorded at 3.03 per cent.

In a separate development, the government also said the wholesale price inflation in March eased to 2.05 per cent against 2.38 per cent in February.

The wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation, however, rose year-on-year from 0.26 per cent in March 2024.