Pioneer In Short

Food prices push inflation higher

Retail inflation rose to 4.45 per cent in July from 4.38 per cent in June, driven by a sharp increase in prices of key kitchen staples, including onions and ginger, Government data showed on Wednesday. The July reading was the highest since the new CPI series, with 2024 as the base year, was introduced in January. Food inflation accelerated to 5.52 per cent from 5.32 per cent in June. Onion inflation surged to 22.54 per cent from 4.73 per cent, while ginger prices jumped 83.62 per cent. Garlic inflation also rose sharply. In contrast, potatoes, ladyfinger, peas and tomatoes recorded negative inflation. Retail inflation remained above the Reserve Bank of India’s 4 per cent target for a second straight month, though core inflation excluding precious metals remained benign. The RBI has projected inflation at 5 per cent for 2026-27, expecting it to rise further in the near term before moderating. Rural inflation stood at 4.84 per cent and urban inflation at 3.96 per cent. Telangana recorded the highest inflation at 6.32 per cent, while Mizoram had the lowest at 1.84 per cent.

Hilsa makes comeback in Ganga

The hilsa fish has returned to the middle and upper stretches of the Ganga after being virtually absent from these reaches for decades, marking a significant milestone in river restoration and aquatic biodiversity conservation, officials said. The Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CIFRI) said two hilsa, weighing a combined 740 grams, were found near Markandey Mahadev Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Chandauli district. The species had historically migrated from the Bay of Bengal through the Ganga up to Varanasi, Prayagraj and beyond, but the commissioning of the Farakka Barrage in 1975 disrupted its migration route. Since 2019, ICAR-CIFRI and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) have undertaken a restoration programme involving river ranching, artificial breeding, egg and spawn releases, tagging and monitoring.

More than 3.85 lakh juvenile and adult hilsa have been ranched, while over 40 lakh fertilised eggs and about 9.4 lakh hatchery-produced spawn were released upstream of Farakka. Monitoring in 2023-25 had recorded hilsa movement up to Mirzapur. Officials said the latest sightings indicate improving river connectivity and habitat conditions, with the migratory fish serving as an ecological indicator of the Ganga’s health.