The annual rate of inflation based on the wholesale price index stood at 8.90 per cent (provisional) for the week ended 8 November, a tad lower than the 8.98 per cent (provisional) recorded during the previous week.

The rate of inflation stood at 3.2 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year, ie, 10 November 2007.

The official wholesale price index for 'All Commodities' (Base: 1993-94 = 100) for the week ended 8 November 2008 declined by  0.2 per cent to 235.0 (provisional) from 235.5 (provisional) for the previous week.

The index for 'Primary Articles' rose 0.4 per cent to 250.0 (provisional) from 249.0 (provisional) for the previous week.

Among the group the index for 'Food Articles' rose 0.1 per cent to 244.3 (provisional) from 244.1 (provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of fruits and vegetables, masur, arhar, barley, gram and bajra (1 per cent each).  However, the prices of jowar (7 per cent), tea (6 per cent) and maize (3 per cent) declined.

The index for  'Non-Food Articles'  group rose 1.1 per cent to 235.7 (provisional) from 233.1  (provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of logs and timber (36 per cent), raw silk (13 per cent) and groundnut seed (1 per cent).  However, the prices of raw rubber (2 per cent) and linseed, raw cotton and rape and mustard seed (1 per cent each) declined.

The index for 'Minerals' group rose by 0.7 per cent to 610.1 (provisional) from 606.0 (provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of phosphorite (48 per cent), barytes (42 per cent), steatite (4 per cent) and fluorite (1 per cent).  However, the prices of gypsum (31 per cent) and fire clay (14 per cent) declined.

The annual rate of inflation, calculated on point-to-point basis, for 'Primary Articles' stood at 11.66 per cent (provisional) for the week under review as compared to 11.01 per cent (provisional) in the previous week.  It was 4.33 per cent as of 10 November 2007.

The annual rate of inflation for 'Food Articles' stood at 9.31 per cent (provisional) for the week as compared to 9.07 per cent (provisional) in the previous week.  It was 2.34 per cent as of 10 November 2007.

The index for the 'Fuel, power, light & lubricants' group declined by 0.9 per cent to 353.3 (provisional) from 356.6 (provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of light diesel oil (11 per cent), furnace oil (9 per cent), aviation turbine fuel (5 per cent) and naphtha (4 per cent).  However, the prices of bitumen (1 per cent) moved up.

The index for  the 'Manufactured products' group declined by 0.2 per cent to 203.4 (provisional) from 203.8 (provisional) for the previous week.

Among manufactured products, the index for 'Food Products' group declined by 0.4 per cent to 201.9 (provisional) from 202.7 (provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of oil cakes and imported edible oil (2 per cent each) and gur, rice bran oil and groundnut oil (1 per cent each).

The index for 'Textiles' group rose by  0.5 per cent to 140.4 (provisional) from 139.7 (provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of miscellaneous cotton cloth (6 per cent), cotton yarn-cones (4 per cent) and cotton yarn-hanks (1 per cent).  However, the prices of texturised yarn (7 per cent) and hessian and sacking bags, polyester staple fibre and hessian cloth (2 per cent each) declined.

 The index for 'Rubber and Plastic Products' group declined by 0.3 per cent to 168.6 (provisional) from 169.1 (provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of PVC pipes and tubings (2 per cent).

The index for 'Chemicals and Chemical Products' group declined by 0.6 per cent to 223.2 (provisional) from 224.6 (provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of benzene (34 per cent), PVC resins (15 per cent) and purified terephthalic acid (11 per cent).  However, the prices of BOPP film (2 per cent) moved up.

The index for 'Basic Metals Alloys and Metal Products' group declined by 0.4 per cent to 285.7 (provisional) from 286.8 (provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of bright bars (7 per cent), zinc ingots (3 per cent) and lead ingots and bars and rods (2 per cent each). However, the prices of ferro-manganese (1 per cent) moved up.

The index for 'Machinery and Machine Tools' group rose by 0.1 per cent to 176.6 (provisional) from 176.5 (provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of fluorescent tubes (12 per cent) and GLS lamps (4 per cent).

The index for 'Transport Equipment & Parts' group rose by 0.1 per cent to 176.8 (provisional) from 176.6 (provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of bicycles (2 per cent).

The revised rate of inflation for the week ended 13 September 2008 stood at 12.42 per cent as compared to 12.14 per cent (provisional) reported earlier.   

The final index for 'All Commodities' (Base:1993-94=100) for the week ended 13 September 2008 has also been revised to 241.7, from 241.1 (provisional).