New Delhi, June 12 -- India's retail inflation firmed up to 3.93% in May from 3.48% in the previous month, according to provisional data released by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation on Friday.

The median estimate in a Mint poll of 16 economists was for a 4.1% increase in retail prices, slightly above the Reserve Bank of India's 4% mid-range target. The poll estimates ranged from 3.9% to 4.4%.

The latest data can't be compared with the year-ago period due to the reset of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) basket in January. Retail inflation was recorded at a revised 2.74% in January, marking the debut for the new series with 2024 as the base year. It stood at 3.21% in February, 3.4% in March and 3.48% in April.

Prices...