After a three-week fall, inflation rises to 5.16%

New Delhi, July 15: Annual inflation rate, after a three-week fall, was up 0.13 percentage points to 5.16 per cent for the week ended June 30 even as fuel products remained firm for the last 15 weeks. The point-to-point inflation rate based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for all commodities (Base: 1993-94 = 100) increased from 5.03 per cent in the previous week due to price hike for primary and manufactured articles. The index was 6.47 per cent a year ago.

WPI rose marginally by 0.1 per cent to 160.9 from 160.7 a week ago. The index was 153 in the previous year. The final WPI for the week ended May five stood at 160.1 as compared to the provisional figure of 159.8 in the same period, while the final inflation rate stood at 5.61 per cent as against the provisional level of 5.41 per cent.

A 0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent rise in manufactured and primary items respectively accounted for increase in the rate of inflation.
The index for primary articles’ group rose to 170.1 on account of costlier food items. The index was 169.7 in the previous weeks and 164.8 a year ago.

Food Articles’ group index rose by 0.4 per cent to 176.8 from 176.1 due to higher prices for fruits and vegetables (four per cent), fish-inland (three per cent) and bajra, gram, arhar and eggs (one per cent each). Prices, however, declined in the case of maize (four percent), jowar, urad and condiments and spices (three per cent), ragi, fish-marine and mutton (two per cent each) and moong, milk and tea (one per cent each). The index for non-food articles’ group fell by 0.1 percent to 157.6 from 157.7 on account of one per cent dip each in the prices of raw cotton and tobacco. But there was an increase in the prices of fodder (three per cent), raw jute (two per cent) and mustard seed and cotton seed (one per cent each).

The index for fuel, power, light and lubricants’ group index stood firm consecutively for the sixteenth week at 222.7 and the index was 194.5 in the previous year.

Manufactured products’ group rose marginally to 143.9 from 143.7 due to costlier food products, textiles, machinery and non-metallic mineral products and the index was 139.6 in the previous year. Food products rose by 0.5 per cent to 144.7 from 144 due to costlier gingelly oil (10 per cent), cotton seed oil (seven per cent), rice bran oil (five per cent), maida, sooji, sweet meat confectionery and sugar, atta and slovent extracted groundnut oil (three per cent each) and skimmed milk powder (two per cent).

-- PTI