Inflation based on a wholesale price index (WPI) shot up to an all-time high of 10.49 percent in April, on rising prices of crude oil and manufactured items. Also, a low base of April last year contributed to the spike in inflation in April 2021.

The WPI inflation was 7.39 percent in March 2021, and (-) 1.57 percent in April 2020. This is the fourth straight month of uptick seen in the wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation.

Inflation in food articles in April was 4.92 percent as prices of protein-rich items like egg, meat and fish hardened.

In veggies, the rate of price rise was (-) 9.03 percent, against (-) 5.19 percent in the previous month. In the ''egg, meat and fish'' basket inflation was 10.88 percent in April. Inflation in pulses was 10.74 percent in April, while in fruits it was 27.43 percent.

Inflation in the fuel and power basket was 20.94 percent in April, while in manufactured products it was 9.01 percent.

Retail inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), eased to 4.29 percent in April on decline in food prices, data released last week showed.

Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das had earlier this month said that manufacturing and services PMIs along with rising WPI inflation show persistence of input price pressure.

Provisional figures of WPI are released on 14th of every month with a time lag of 14 days of the reference month and compiled with data received from institutional sources and selected manufacturing units across the country. After 10 weeks, the provisional index is finalized, released and frozen thereafter.

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