Inflation climbs up to 2.53 pc

New Delhi, Dec 2: A sharp rise in vegetables and fruits prices pushed up inflation by another 0.06 per cent to 2.53 per cent for the week ended November 17 as compared to 7.48 per cent in the same period previous year.

The week also witnessed increase in the price of eggs on account of winter in the northern part of the country, even as prices dipped for many of the non-food articles and manufactured products including coconut oil, ghee and cement. The index was 2.47 per cent in the previous week.

The wholesale price index (WPI), however, stood firm at the previous week’s level of 162 and the index was lower at 158 a year ago period.
The final WPI stood marginally lower at 161.8 in the week ended September 22, as against the provisional level of 161.9, while the final inflation rate was lower at 4.79 per cent as compared to provisional figure of 4.86 per cent.

The All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) rose by three points to 468 in October, while the point-to-point inflation fell by 0.50 per cent to 4.23 per cent as against 4.73 per cent in the previous month.

Primary articles and manufactured products became cheaper by 0.1 per cent respectively, while the fuel items remained unchanged. PTI
The index for primary articles’ group fell to 168.1 from 8.2 mainly due to cheaper non-food articles, even as food articles became costlier. The index was 161.9 in the previous year period.

Food articles’ group index rose by 0.2 per cent to 177.5 from 177.2 as prices rose for vegetables (3 per cent), fruits (2 per cent), ragi, masur, eggs and fish-marine (2 per cent each) and condiments and spices (1 per cent).

Prices, however, dipped for fish-inland (5 per cent), jowar and bajra (4 per cent each), mutton (2 per cent) and rice, maize, barley, moong and urad (1 per cent each).

The index for non-food articles’ group fell by 0.8 per cent to 148.3 from 149.5 on account of cheaper sunflower (10 per cent), groundnut seed and linseed (2 per cent each) and mesta, rape, mustard seed and castor seed (1 per cent each).

But prices rose for kardi seed (7 per cent), nigerseed (4 per cent), raw silk, copra and tobacco (2 per cent each) and fodder (1 per cent).

Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants’ group index was firm at the previous week’s level of 231.6 and the index was 220.9 a year ago period. In the previous week, the index moved up substantially due to surge in diesel price.

The index for manufactured products’ group fell to 144.3 from 144.4 due to fall in the prices of food products, paper, textiles, chemicals and non-metallic mineral products. The index was 142.6 in the previous year.

— PTI