Retail inflation measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 4.8% in August 2026, a 20-month high, pushed up mainly by rising food prices. Economists said the pick-up raises the likelihood of the Reserve Bank of India lifting the policy rate at its October review, reversing the easing bias that guided monetary policy through the earlier part of the year.
Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation accelerated to 9.92% in August 2026, driven by higher prices of food, fuel and manufactured items. Within the basket, inflation in manufactured items reached a series high of 8.37%, up from 8.29% in July. The near double-digit wholesale print points to persistent cost pressures building up in the pipeline for producers.
The HinduWork generated under the rural employment scheme MGNREGA rose modestly in August 2026 but stayed below the levels seen a year earlier. Cumulative persondays for the July-August period fell 32%, from 29.78 crore to 20.21 crore year-on-year. Ministry officials attributed the decline to a roughly 60-day pause in agricultural activity that reduced demand for rural work.
The Hindu
José Cruz/Agência Brasil · CC BY 3.0 brUnion Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, speaking at the inaugural session of the BRICS Business Forum 2026, urged member nations to link their payment systems and trade more in local currencies. He said deeper BRICS cooperation would generate jobs, wealth and prosperity for a bloc that represents about half the global population and 40% of global GDP.
The HinduThe seasonally adjusted HSBC India Services PMI Business Activity Index rose to 54.1 in August 2026 from 53.3 in July, staying well above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction. Supportive demand conditions and continued growth in new business inflows underpinned the reading, signalling sustained expansion in India's dominant services sector.
The Hindu
Prdp777 · CC BY-SA 4.0The last seven days as one sheet — grouped by syllabus area, every figure worth memorising, and a quiz across the whole week.
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