Govt accords priority to keep prices under check: Goyal

New Delhi: Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said that the government accords priority to keeping prices under check and that is the reason why inflation is low in India as compared to several developed nations. He said that a group of ministers regularly meets and discuss the price situation.

Average inflation rate used to be at 10-12% before 2014

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives priority to keep prices under check," Goyal said while briefing about the increase of Rs 143 in the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy to Rs 2,183 per quintal for this year. He added that before 2014, the average inflation rate used to be at 10-12 percent, but after the Modi government came to power the average rate of inflation in the last nine years has come down to 4.5 percent.

Prices in India are much lower when compared to most developed countries

"On one side we are increasing MSP and on the other hand, we have kept the inflation under control," he said. The prices in India are much lower when compared to most developed countries, where inflation is in double digits.

Wholesale prices fell for the first time in almost 3 yrs in Apr

Wholesale prices in India fell for the first time in almost three years in April, as softening global commodity prices brought down food, fuel, and other input costs for producers. Retail inflation declined to an 18-month low of 4.7 percent in April mainly due to falling prices of vegetables, oils, and fats, and came closer to the Reserve Bank's target of 4 percent, according to the government data.

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