Inflation rate surges to 8.16%

In contrast, the inflation rate based on consumer price index for industrial workers which is the real barometer of retail prices, dipped minutely to 2.74 per cent during November 2000 from 2.75 per cent in the previous month. It has been on a declining trend for the successive five months since July, 2000.

The wholesale price index for all commodities (base 1993-94) recorded 0.1 per cent rise to 157.7 on December 30, 2000 from 157.6 in the previous week and it was 145.8 in the corresponding week last year. The final wholesale price index for all commodities index (base 1993-94) stood at 158.4 on November four, as against the provisional index of 157.9.

The inflation rate based on final index worked out to 7.61 per cent as against 7.27 per cent based on provisional data. The index for primary articles rose marginally by 0.1 per cent to 161.1 from 161 in the previous week.

Similarly, the index for manufactured products also went up by 0.1 per cent to 143.1 from 143, whereas the index for fuel, power, light and lubricants remained unchanged at it’s previous week’s level of 217.9.

The index for food articles, under the primary articles group, climbed up by 0.2 per cent to 168.6 from 168.3 mainly due to fish (marine) becoming dearer by five per cent, urad and mutton by two per cent each. But the prices of jowar became cheaper by two per cent, arhar and masur by one per cent each.

Due to a sharp 12 per cent drop in tobacco prices, the index for non-food articles declined by 0.4 per cent to 145.8 from 146.4. But the prices of mesta, rose by three per cent, raw jute, cotton seed and copra by one per cent each.

The index for food products, under the manufactured products group,slid by 0.1 per cent to 144.7 from 144.8 due to gur prices coming down by three per cent, butter and coconut oil by one per cent each. But ghee, solvent extracted groundnut oil and rice bran oil became dearer by two per cent each.

With beer and alcohol becoming dearer by four per cent and Indian made foreign spirit by two per cent, the index for beverages, tobacco and tobacco products shot up by 0.3 per cent to 181.7 from 181.2. The index for chemicals and chemical products declined by 0.1 per cent to 166.4 from 166.5 due to liquid nitrogen becoming dearer by four per cent and rubber chemicals by two per cent.