At a time when the central government has extended the free-food programme and rural demand has remained depressed, rural inflation was higher than its urban equivalent in 18 of the 22 months from January 2022 to October 2023.

       The latest data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) last week showed the consumer price index-based (CPI-based) rural retail inflation rate topped the urban inflation rate for the fourth consecutive month in October.

       This comes after a brief interlude between March and June 2023, when the rural retail inflation rate was lower than the urban inflation rate.

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