Retail inflation cools down to 3.31 pc in October

India's retail inflation, measured on the basis of Consumer Price Index (CPI), slipped to 3.31 per cent in the month of October, largely against a dip in the prices of a number of food items.

As per the data published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Monday, inflation for the month of October cooled down to 3.31 per cent from 3.70 per cent in September and 3.58 per cent in the same period last year.

The prices of commodities in 'food and beverages' category dropped, the rate of commodities under the 'pan, tobacco and intoxicants' and 'clothing and footwear' categories witnessed a significant jump in October. Prices of commodities under the 'fuel and light' category also saw a significant rise in the preceding month.

Among states and union territories, Assam saw maximum inflation of 6.03 per cent, while the least was witnessed in Andhra Pradesh (-1.07 per cent) and Himachal Pradesh (-0.73 per cent).