Mumbai: The annual rate of inflation based on the wholesale price index remained at 6.46 per cent for the week ended March 10, unchanged from the earlier week, as the rise in prices of some items was neutralised by decline in others.

But, at over six per cent, even the unchanged inflation rate is quite high compared to the inflation rate of just 3.80 per cent a year ago.

Official data showed a rise in the prices of food products like vegetables, fruits, eggs, mutton, fish-marine, bajara, condiments and spices and decline in the prices of wheat, gram, urad and moong.

Even in manufactured category, some food products like oil cakes and khandsari became expensive, while others like gur were cheaper.

Among other items, sunflower, linseed, rubber, insulated cables, power driven pumps became costlier, while prices of copra, groundnut seed, telephone cables fell.

The data, however, did not show price movements of cement, which occupied much attention of the policy makers for major portion of this week.

The report comes amidst apprehension among some kea policy makers of signs of overheating in the economy.

The fears, raised by planning commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia and chairman of the prime minister's economic advisory council C Rangarajan on overheating were downplayed by prime minister Manmohan Singh.

According to him, rise in inflation is a momentary phenomenon amid positive impulses in the economy.