Inflation rate remained unchanged despite a fall in the prices of primary articles and manufactured products like urad, ragi, poultry chicken, raw rubber, rape seed, mustard seed, gur, processed tea, bran, car tyres, giant tyres and giant tubes. However, the prices of valves, pumps, coking coal, non-coking coal, raw skins, beef and buffalo meat, rose during the week under review.

Two weeks ago, it touched a 116-week high of 8.29 per cent, the highest since November 7, 1998, when it stood at 8.61 per cent. From the day it touched the eight per cent mark, its movements had been somewhat sluggish.The institute of economic growth had forecast that the inflation rate-based WPI would be around nine to ten per cent in the coming months.

A 1.6 per cent increase in the index of fuel, power, light and lubricants jacked up the WPI for all commodities (base 1993-94) by 0.1 per cent to 158.2 on February 3. The index for primary articles slid by 0.1 per cent to 161.3 as against 161.4, while the index for manufactured products fell by 0.4 per cent to 143 from 143.6. The index for fuel, power, light and lubricants shot up by 1.6 per cent to 221.4 from 217.9.

The final WPI for all commodities (base 1993-94) stood at 158.5 on December 9 as against the provisional index of 157.8. The inflation rate based on final index worked out to 8.49 per cent as against 8.01 per cent based on the provisional index.

With beef and buffalo meat becoming dearer by five per cent, milk and eggs by two per cent each, vegetables by one per cent, the index for food articles under the primary articles group went up by 0.1 per cent to 168.5 from 168.3.

A sharp 21 per cent hike in the prices of non-coking coal and 11 per cent increase in prices of coking coal led to a 1.6 per cent jump in the index of fuel, power, light and lubricants to 221.4 from 217.9.

With the prices of gur coming down by six per cent, bran (all kinds) and processed tea by five per cent each, cotton seed oil and rice bran oil by three per cent each, solvent extracted groundnut oil by two per cent and sugar by one per cent, the index for food products, under the manufactured products group, fell by 0.4 per cent to 143 from 143.6.

The index for textiles declined by 1.2 per cent to 120.2 from 121.6 because the prices of cotton yarn hank declined by three per cent, cotton yarn-cones and synthetic yarn by two per cent each, and nylon filament yarn, hessian and sacking bags by one per cent each.

Due to car tyres becoming cheaper by a whopping 10 per cent, giant tyres by nine per cent and giant tubes by six per cent, the index for rubber and plastic products plummeted by four per cent to 121.5 from 126.6.

A slender one per cent dip in the prices of acids (all kinds), made the index for chemicals and chemical products slide by 0.1 per cent to 167.3 from 167.4.

A marginal fall in cement prices ensured that the index for non-metallic mineral products came down by 0.1 per cent to 144.9 from 145.

The index for basic metals, alloys and metal products declined by 0.1 per cent to 141.5 from 141.6 because pipes, tubes and lead ingots became cheaper by two per cent each and zinc ingots by one per cent. As valves (all types) became dearer by 11 per cent and other pumps by four per cent, the index for machine and machinery tools rose by 0.2 per cent to 126.1 from 125.9. The indices that remained unaltered at their previous week's level were minerals, beverages, tobacco and tobacco products, wood and wood products, paper and paper products, leather and leather products and transport equipments and parts.