Mumbai, Dec. 22 -- RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra noted, as revealed in the minutes of the fifty-eighth meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held during December 3 to 5, 2025, that headline inflation in H1:2025-26 turned out to be much softer than anticipated due to the generalised moderation in price pressures, particularly the sharp decline in food prices. Moreover, core inflation (CPI headline excluding food and fuel) remained rangebound notwithstanding the continued increase in prices of precious metals. In fact, core inflation excluding precious metals, has been low for a long time. Since the beginning of 2024, it has been in the range of 2.5 to 3.4 per cent. Going ahead, good agricultural production, low food prices and except...