India’s wholesale price index based inflation touched 7.39 per cent — an eight-year high — in March compared to the corresponding month in the previous year, government data showed.

"The annual rate of inflation stood at 7.39 per cent (provisional) for the month of March, 2021 over March, 2020. However, the month-on-month (March 2021 over February 2021) rate of inflation stood at 1.57 per cent," the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement.

The statement further said that in January, the WPI inflation rate stood at 2.51 per cent. In March 2021, prices of crude oil, petroleum products and basic metal increased considerably compared to the same month in 2020.

The ministry also said that due to nationwide lockdown, the WPI index for March 2020 (120.4) was computed with relatively low response rate.

Inflation for primary articles increased 0.55 percent in March over February, In case of crude petroleum, natural gas and non-food articles, inflation rose 8.64 per cent, 1.9 per cent and 0.35 per cent, respectively, over the preceding month.