Inflation soars to 8.1%

New Delhi, May 30 (UNI) The headline inflation rate for the week ended May 17 soared to 8.1 per cent as compared to 7.82 per cent for the previous week.

The annual inflation rate was 5.3 per cent during the corresponding week of the previous year, a statement said.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for 'All Commodities' for the week ended May 17 rose by 0.26 per cent to 229.6 (Provisional) from 229.0 (Provisional) for the previous week.

The index for 'Primary Food Articles' rose by 0.5 per cent to 240.9 (Provisional) from 239.8 (Provisional) for the previous week.

The index for the 'Food Articles' group rose by 0.6 per cent 232.9 (Provisional) from 231.4 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of fish-marine(six per cent), fruits and vegetables(three per cent), moong (two per cent), and masur, condiments and spice and gram(one per cent each) .

However, the prices of tea (three per cent) and maize and wheat (one per cent each) declined.

The index for 'Non-Food Articles' group rose by 0.2 per cent to 230.3 (Provisional) from 229.9 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of rape and mustard seed (four per cent), raw rubber (two per cent) and cotton seed, fodder and raw cotton (one per cent each).

However, the prices of gingelly seed (14 per cent), mesta (four per cent), copra (two per cent) and linseed (one per cent) declined.

The index for 'Minerals' group declined marginally to 630.1 (Provisional) from 630.2 (Provisional) for the previous week due to lower prices of barytes (15 per cent).

However, the prices of fire clay and felspar (15 per cent each) and magnesite (two per cent) moved up.

The index for 'Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants' group rose by 0.4 per cent to 347.2 (Provisional) from 345.8 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of coke (31 per cent), furnace oil (three per cent), naphtha and light diesel oil (two per cent each) and bitumen (one per cent).

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