India, Jan. 13 -- Consumer price inflation (CPI) in India accelerated to 1.33% in December, up from 0.71% the previous month, driven largely by rising food costs. Despite the uptick, the figure came in softer than the 1.5% forecast anticipated by economists in a Reuters poll.

According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the primary drivers for the increase were surging prices in vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, pulses, and personal care items. While the headline number rose, relief was seen in the fuel and light category, where inflation eased to 1.97%, down from 2.32% in November.

The data revealed a divergence between sectors, with urban inflation rising sharply to 2.03% compared to a modest 0.76% increase in rur...