The annual rate of inflation based on monthly wholesale price index (WPI) stood at 2.26% in February over the same month last year, data released by the government on Monday showed.
The official WPI for all commodities (base 2011-12=100) for February 2020 declined by 0.66% to 122.2 from 122.9 for the previous month, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
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“The annual rate of inflation based on monthly WPI stood at 2.265 for February 2020 (over February 2019) as compared to 3.1% (provisional) for the previous month and 2.93% during the corresponding month of previous year,” it said.
Build up inflation rate in the financial year so far was 1.92% compared to a build up rate of 2.75% in the corresponding period of previous year.
The index for food articles group declined by 3.7% to 154.9 from 160.8 for the previous month due to lower price of fruits and vegetables (14%), tea (8%), egg and maize (7% each), condiments, spices and bajra (4% each), gram and jowar (2% each), and fish-inland, pork, ragi, wheat, urad and masur (1% each).
However, the price of beef, buffalo meat and fish-marine moved up (5% each), betel leaves (4%), moong and poultry chicken (3% each), mutton (2%) and barley, rajma and arhar (1% each).
However, the index for fuel and power rose by 1.2 per cent to 103.9 from 102.7 for the previous month.
The index for manufactured products rose marginally by 0.2 per cent to 118.7 from 118.5 for the previous month.
(With ANI Inputs)