Inflation rate rises to -0.95 per cent

The annual rate of inflation based on the wholesale price index stood higher at -0.95 per cent (provisional) for the week ended 15 August 2009 against -1.53 per cent (provisional) in the previous week.

The official inflation rate stood at 12.82 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year (ended16 August 2008).

The official wholesale price index for 'all commodities' (base: 1993-94 = 100) for the week under review rose 0.6 per cent to 238.8 (provisional) from 237.4 (provisional) for the previous week.

The index for the `primary articles' group rose 2.1 per cent to 268.4 (provisional) from 262.9 (provisional) for the previous week.

Among primary articles, the index for the 'food articles' group rose 3.2 per cent to 270.3 (provisional) from 262.0 (provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of fish-inland (25 per cent), eggs (10 per cent), masur (8 per cent), milk and moong (5 per cent each), condiments and spices (4 per cent), fruits and vegetables and jowar (3 per cent), mutton and arhar (2 per cent each) and urad and maize (1 per cent each). However, the prices of fish-marine (9 per cent) declined.

The index for the 'non-food articles' group declined 0.5 per cent to 240.3 (provisional) from 241.4 (provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of groundnut seed (-3 per cent). However, the prices of castor seed (2 per cent) and raw rubber, raw silk, rape and mustard seed and cottonseed (1 per cent each) moved up.