Inflation dips to 5.77 pc

New Delhi, May 4 (UNI) The annual rate of inflation dipped to 5.77 per cent for the week ended April 21, as compared to 6.09 per cent the previous week, after a no change in the percentage for continuous two-week.

The annual rate of inflation, calculated on a point-to-point basis, stood at 3.85 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year, according to an official figures issued here today.

Finance minister P Chidambaram yesterday said the government will work on policy measures and step up supply to bring down inflation to 4.5 per cent from the current six-plus per cent.

''I am confident that current inflation, which is over six per cent since January 2007, will be moderated to 4.5 per cent with the combination of measures in the fiscal, monetary and supply side,'' he said in Lok Sabha while replying to a debate on the Finance Bill.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for all commodities for the week ended April 21, remained unchanged at its previous week's level of 210.9.

The index for the primary articles group rose by 0.05 per cent to 219.2 from 219.1 for the previous week.

The index for food articles group declined by 0.05 per cent to 218.4 from 218.5 for the previous week due to lower prices of eggs (5 per cent), urad (2 per cent) and wheat, jowar and arhar (1 per cent each).

However, the prices of poultry chicken (3 per cent) and masur, gram and barley (1 per cent each) moved up.

The index for non-food articles group rose by 0.2 per cent to 205.2 from 204.8 for the previous week due to higher prices of fodder (9 per cent) and cotton seed, copra, raw cotton and niger seed (2 per cent each).

However, the prices of gingelly seed (6 per cent), raw silk (3 per cent), raw rubber (2 per cent) and linseed (1 per cent) declined.

The index for minerals group rose by 0.3 per cent to 419.8 from 418.4 for the previous week due to higher prices of vermiculite (47 per cent) and magnesite (6 per cent).

However, the prices of steatite (14 per cent) and fire clay (5 per cent) declined.

UNI