Nirmala Sitharaman Flags El Nino, Water Stress As New Inflation Risks On NDTV Business Awards

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday flagged El Niño-driven weather disruptions and emerging water shortages as fresh domestic risks to inflation, saying price pressures this year cannot be attributed solely to global geopolitical tensions. Speaking to Rahul Kanwal, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of NDTV, at the NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards, Sitharaman said India faces a dual challenge of imported inflation from the conflict in West Asia and weather-induced supply-side pressures at home. "Normally I would have said inflation is getting imported because of uncertainties in the Middle East... But also this year there is an El Niño factor," Sitharaman said. She noted that rainfall has been uneven across the country, with some regions receiving excessive showers while others remain deficient