RURAL INFLATION ON A DECLINING TREND FURTHER REDUCING RURAL STRESS;

• Economic Survey 2025-26 flagged a structural reversal: rural CPI inflation fell below urban inflation in 2025, easing rural distress after two years (2023, 2024) of rural > urban inflation.
• Driven by easing food inflation, which carries a higher weight in the rural CPI basket than the urban one.
• Relevant for GS-III (Indian Economy — inflation, monetary policy, agriculture) and Prelims (CPI structure, RBI tolerance band).