NEW DELHI, JAN 4: Annual inflation based on wholesale prices shot up to 4.47 per cent for the week ended December 20 as primary food articles and manufactured food products became dearer.The inflation went up by 0.53 percentage points during the week to end at 4.47 per cent (provisional) compared to 3.94 per cent (P) in the previous week and 7.81 per cent in the corresponding week of last year.
Annual inflation has been following an upward trend, barring minor fluctuations, ever since it touched an 11 year low of 3.20 per cent on November 8.
In the last six weeks alone, inflation has gone up by more than 1.25 percentage points.
During the week, the wholesale price index (WPI) for `all commodities' (base 1981-82=100) increased by 0.6 per cent to 334.5 from 332.5 in the previous week.
The upsurge in inflation during the week has been mainly on account of 2.3 per cent increase in primary food articles and 1.0 per cent increase in manufactured food products, which together account for 27.59 per cent of
the total weight in WPI, during the week.
Among primary food items, prices of tea went up by 10 per cent, gram by 6 per cent and gur, wheat, urad and vegetables by 4 per cent each.
Meanwhile, inflation based on the final index fell to 4.0 per cent for the week ended October 25 (the latest available) from 4.6 per cent in the previous week and 3.5 per cent in the corresponding week on provisional index.
The final index for all commodities for the week also fell to 331.6 from the previous week's level of 331.9. The index was at 329.8 during the corresponding week on provisional index.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
