The following is the unedited transcript of the news release from Office of the Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, New Delhi

The WPI for the week ended 27th February, 2010 in respect of ‘Primary Articles and ‘Fuel, Power, Light & Lubricants’ is given below:

PRIMARY ARTICLES (Weight 22.02%)

The WPI for the week ended 27th February, 2010 rose by 0.4 percent to 284.7 (Provisional) from 283.7 (Provisional) for the previous week.

The annual rate of inflation, calculated on point to point basis, stood at 15.08 percent (Provisional) for the week ended 27/02/2010 (over 28/02/2009) as compared to 15.00 percent (Provisional) for the previous week (ended 20/02/2010) and 5.55 percent during the corresponding week (ended 28/02/2009) of the previous year.

The groups and items for which the index showed variations during the week are as follows:-

The index for ''Food Articles'' group rose by 0.2 percent to 285.7 (Provisional) from 285.0 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of poultry chicken (7%) and barley, milk and fruits & vegetables (1% each). However, the prices of tea (3%), gram and urad (2% each) and arhar, condiments & spices, maize, fish-inland, fish-marine, masur, eggs and moong (1% each) declined.

The index for ''Non-Food Articles'' group rose by 0.1 percent to 256.5 (Provisional) from 256.2 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of raw rubber (2%) and raw cotton and fodder (1% each). However, the prices of gingelly seed and groundnut seed (1% each) declined.

The index for ''Minerals'' group rose by 3.2 percent to 610.4 (Provisional) from 591.6 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of barytes (5 %), iron ore, asbestos and steatite (4% each). However, the prices of magnesite (38%) and felspar (4%) declined.

FUEL, POWER, LIGHT & LUBRICANTS (Weight 14.23%)

The index for this major group rose by 1.6 percent to 361.2 (Provisional) from 355.4 (Provisional) for the previous week due to higher prices of high speed diesel oil (8%), petrol (6%). However, the prices of furnace oil, bitumen, light diesel oil and naphtha (1% each) declined.

The annual rate of inflation, calculated on point to point basis stood at 11.38 percent (Provisional) for the week ended 27/02/2010 over 28/02/2009 as compared to 9.59 percent (Provisional) for the previous week (ended 20/02/2010) and (-)4.90 percent during the corresponding week (ended 28/02/2009) of the previous year.

Build up inflation over the week, financial year end and over the year is given in Annexure–1 for some important items.

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