Amidst the tall claims of infrastructural growth and other development, a recent data revealed that the inflation rate in Odisha was highest in March as compared to other states and union territories in the country.
Even as the overall retail inflation rate in the country dropped to a 10-month low of 4.85 per cent, Odisha recorded an inflation rate of 7.05 percent in the month of March.
As per the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the rural inflation rate was higher than the urban with 7.27 percent and 6.46 percent, respectively. Thirteen out of the 22 states and Union territories, for which the data was released, have higher than the overall inflation rate of 4.9 percent.
Odisha emerged as the state with the highest inflation rate in March, followed closely by Assam and Haryana with 6.1 percent. Delhi recorded the lowest inflation rate of 2.3 percent followed by Uttarakhand at 3.6 percent.
Here's the list of top five states with high inflation rate:
Odisha- 7.05
Assam- 6.1
Haryana- 6.1
Bihar- 5.7
Telangana-5.6
List of states with lowest inflation:
Delhi- 2.3
Uttarakhand- 3.6
West Bengal- 3.7
Maharashtra- 3.7
Himachal Pradesh- 4.1
Here's What Experts Say:
It has been observed that the retail inflation rate is high in Odisha despite having all resources because the state is a consuming state and not a producing state.
Chartered Accountant, Rajiv Sahu said, “Odisha is such a state which has all resources. We need to produce products as per the resources so that we become self reliant. Special focus should be given to vegetables, potatoes, eggs, onion and fish. If inflation is high, the poor people get affected more.”
According to Sahu, Odisha is dependent on West Bengal for potatoes, Andhra Pradesh for eggs and Nashik for onions. Such daily consumable products are not produced in Odisha, and also the state lacks storage capacities.
Sudhakar Panda, Secretary Odisha Byabasahi Sangha said, “Be it vegetables or other food items, the production is on a declining trend in Odisha. The state government should work to encourage farmers.”
“The prices of dal, oil and other items have increased in Odisha. This is affecting all, including the middle class families,” rued a consumer.