India’s retail inflation rose to 3.40% in March 2026, compared to 3.21% in February, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Inflation in rural areas was higher at 3.63%, while urban inflation stood at 3.11%.
Food inflation increased to 3.87% in March from 3.47% in February. Rural food inflation was 3.96%, slightly higher than urban food inflation at 3.71%.
Housing inflation was recorded at 2.11%, with urban housing inflation at 1.95%.
Among categories, personal care and miscellaneous goods and services saw high inflation at 18.65%. Transport inflation remained flat at 0.00%, while information and communication inflation was low at 0.33%.
At the item level, some food prices continued to fall. Onion prices declined by 27.76%, potatoes by 18.98%, and garlic by 10.18% compared to last year.
On the other hand, prices of some items rose sharply.
Silver jewellery inflation stood at 148.61%, while gold and diamond jewellery rose 45.92%.
Among food items, coconut (copra) saw inflation of 45.52%, while tomato and cauliflower prices rose 35.99% and 34.11%, respectively.
Price data was collected from 1,407 urban markets and 1,465 villages across the country, with reporting rates of 99.93% in rural markets and 100% in urban markets during March, ensuring near-complete coverage.
The next CPI data for April 2026 is scheduled to be released on 12 May 2026.
Read also : Government notifies ₹10,000 crore Startup India Fund of Funds 2.0 to boost capital access for startups
