December retail inflation rate drops to 2.19 percent, lowest since June 2017

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's retail inflation rate dropped to 2.19 percent in December from a year earlier, the lowest level since June 2017, government data showed on Monday. The decline was helped by a fall in food prices and smaller increases in fuel costs.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast December's annual increase in the consumer price index at 2.20 percent, compared with November's 2.33 percent.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar)