New Delhi : Even as prices of pulses and potatoes ruled high, India’s annual rate of inflation based on wholesale prices fell marginally to 3.39 per cent for October from 3.57 per cent for the previous month, official data showed on Tuesday, reports IANS. According to data on the wholesale price index, released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry, the annual inflation rate has climbed to the current level from a decline of (-)3.70 percent in October last year. Further, the annual inflation rate for potatoes (October on October) stood at a whopping 60.58 percent, while that for pulses stood at 21.8 per cent.
Onion prices, though, were down (-)65.97 per cent. Overall, vegetable prices came down by (-)9.97 per cent. Protein-based food items such as eggs, meat and fish became dearer by 6.20 per cent. Besides, wheat became more expensive by 6.30 per cent. “The build-up inflation rate in the financial year so far (that is, from April to October) was 4.34 per cent, compared to a build-up rate of 0.45 per cent in the corresponding period of the previous year,” an official statement said.The expenses on primary articles, which constitute 20.12 per cent of the WPI’s total weight, rose by 3.31 per cent.
