With inflation consistently high, Centre asks state to take action

DESPITE retail inflation in the country recording a five-month low in January owing to falling food prices, Odisha continues to be among the top three states making headlines for high inflation for over a year now.

- HEMANT KUMAR ROUT @Bhubaneswar

Meanwhile, neighbouring states like Jharkhand, Telangana and West Bengal have the lowest inflation rate.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the retail inflation in Odisha was the second highest at 6.05 per cent last month after Kerala's 6.76 per cent. Rural inflation was higher than the urban with 6.79 per cent and 4.07 per cent respectively.

While the combined inflation rate was 6.96 per cent in December, it was 6.78 per cent in November. The rate was the third highest in Odisha after Chhattisgarh (7.63 per cent and 8.39 per cent) and Bihar (7.36 per cent and 7.55 per cent).