Repeated hikes in CNG, petrol and diesel prices across metro cities are expected to increase commuting and logistics costs, adding fresh pressure on consumers and transport operators.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over rising inflation, unemployment and the condition of the economy, alleging that the Centre had failed to provide relief to citizens struggling with financial hardship.
India’s inflation numbers are beginning to tell two very different stories. One is reassuring.
Americans are paying more for groceries, gasoline and other everyday necessities as inflation accelerates again, with economists increasingly pointing to geopolitical conflict and energy disruptions as key drivers of rising living costs.
A sharp increase in petrol and diesel prices in Punjab has raised concerns over rising transport costs, agricultural expenses and a possible spike in essential commodity prices.
India’s retail inflation is likely to have edged up to 1.66% in December 2025 from 0.71% in November, driven by an unseasonal rise in food prices and a sharp increase in gold prices, even as overall inflation remained well below last year’s levels, according to projections by Union Bank of India (UBI) Research.
The IMF, World Bank, OECD, Moody’s, Fitch and the Asian Development Bank have either upgraded or maintained strong growth projections for India over the next two years, reinforcing its position as the world’s fastest-growing major economy, the government said in a statement.
CII noted that India’s real GDP grew by 8.0 per cent in the first half of FY26, while inflation remained well anchored, reflecting proactive fiscal policy and prudent macroeconomic management by the government.
The latest inflation numbers from the United States offer a moment of relief in a debate that has been politically charged and economically fraught for years.
The report notes that economic growth has already picked up in FY26 as the drag from fiscal consolidation and tight liquidity conditions witnessed in FY25 has begun to ease.
