Cheaper mutton, chicken lower inflation to 6.63 pc

New Delhi, Feb 25: The government's proactive role to curb the swelling price rise has brought the inflation rate slightly down to 6.63 per cent for the week ended February 10, from a two-year high of 6.73 per cent in the previous week.

The decrease has been attributed to cheaper food articles like mutton, chicken, condiments and spices.

The annual inflation rate calculated on point-to-point basis was 3.81 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year, official data showed.

The Centre has set up a special monitoring cell to keep a daily watch on the price situation and provide support to state governments as required, even as President A P J Abdul Kalam said on Friday the poor would be protected against inflation.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for all commodities for the week ended February 10 remained unchanged at its previous week level of 209.2.

The index for the Primary Articles group declined by 0.1 per cent to 215.8 from 216.1 for the previous week.

The index for Food Articles group declined by 0.1 per cent to 216.8 from 217.1 for the previous week due to lower prices of mutton and poultry chicken (3 per cent each), condiments and spices (2 per cent) and fish-inland (1 per cent).

However, the prices of ragi (3 per cent), gram and jowar (2 per cent each) and milk and barley (1 per cent each) moved up.

The index for Non-Food articles group declined by 0.3 per cent to 196.9 from 197.4 for the previous week due to lower prices of logs and timber (9 per cent), niger seed (3 per cent) and sunflower (2 per cent).

However, the prices of soyabean, castor seed and gingelly seed (2 per cent each) and raw tobacco (1 per cent) moved up.

The index for Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants group remained unchanged at its previous week's level of 320.8. The index for Manufactured Products group rose by 0.1 per cent to 182.0 from 181.9 for the previous week. The index for Food Products group declined by 0.1 per cent to 185.0 from 185.2 for the previous week due to lower prices of sooji and gur (2 per cent each) and atta bran and sugar (1 per cent).

However, the prices of hydrogenated vanaspati, groundnut oil, maida and gingelly oil (1 per cent each) moved up.

The index for Textiles group declined by 0.1 per cent to 133.5 from 133.7 for the previous week due to marginal fall in the prices of cotton yarn-hanks, cotton yarn-cones and synthetic yarn.

The index for Chemicals and Chemicals Products group declined by 0.1 per cent to 193.8 from 193.9 for the previous week due to lower prices of carbon black (4 per cent).

The index for Non-Metallic Mineral Products group rose by 0.8 per cent to 195.0 from 193.4 for the previous week due to higher prices of cement (1 per cent).

The index for Basic Metal Alloys and Metal Products group declined marginally to 240.9 from 241.0 for the previous week due to lower prices of steel wire ropes (4 per cent) and steel wire (2 per cent).

The index for Machinery and Machine Tools group rose by 0.7 per cent to 161.3 from 160.1 for the previous week due to higher prices rubber insulated cables (18 per cent), other cables (16 per cent), components and accessories of switch gears (8 per cent) and p v c insulated cables and enamelled copper wires (2 per cent each).

UNI