Inflation remains unchanged at 3.50 pc

New Delhi, Jan 13: The Inflation rate for the week ended December 29, 2007, remained unchanged at its previous week's level of 3.50 per cent.

The annual inflation rate was 5.89 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year, an official statement said here. The wholesale price index for 'All Commodities' for the week ended December 29, 2007, rose by 0.05 per cent to 216.0 (Provisional) from 215.9 (Provisional) for the previous week.

The index for 'Primary Articles' declined by 0.1 per cent to 222.1 (Provisional) from 222.4 (Provisional) for the previous week.

The index for 'Food Articles' group declined to 220.6 (Provisional) from 221.2 (Provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of fruits and vegetables (two per cent) and fish-marine, moong and urad (one per cent each).

However, the prices of jawar and bajra (two per cent each) and arhar, barley and ragi (one per cent each) moved up.

The index for 'Non-Food Articles' group rose by 0.1 per cent to 209.8 (Provisional) from 209.6 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of raw rubber (four per cent), linseed and castor seed (two per cent each) and fodder, raw cotton and rape and mustard seed (one per cent each).

However the prices of niger seed and sunflower (four per cent each), copra (three per cent) and groundnut seed (one per cent) declined.

The index for 'Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants' group remained unchanged at its previous week's level of 330.2 (Provisional).

The index for 'Manufactured Products' group rose by 0.2 per cent to 188.4 (Provisional) from 188.1 (Provisional) for the previous week. The index for 'Food Products' group rose by 0.9 per cent to 194.9 (Provisional) from 193.2 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of rape and mustard oil (five per cent), oil cakes (four per cent), butter and imported edible oil (three per cent each) rice bran oil, gingelly oil and cotton seed oil (one per cent each).

However the prices of sooji-rawa (two per cent) declined.

The index for 'Textiles' group rose by 0.2 per cent to 128.2 (Provisional) from 127.9 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of polyster staple fibre (four per cent), However, the prices of texturised yarn (two per cent) and hessian cloth (one per cent) declined.

The index for 'Rubber and Plastic Products' group rose by 0.4 per cent to 162.4 (Provisional) from 161.7 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of injection moulded plastic items (four per cent).

The index for 'Chemicals and Chemical Products' group rose by 0.5 per cent to 204.7 (Provisional) from 204.6 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher price of calcium ammonium nitrate n-content (one per cent).

The index for 'Basic Metal Alloys and Metal Products' group rose marginally to 247.2 (Provisional) from 247.1 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of zinc ingots (three per cent) and lead ingots (one per cent).

The index for 'Machinery and Machine Tools' group declined by 0.2 per cent to 167.3 (Provisional) from 167.7 (Provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of enamelled copper wires (eight per cent).

UNI