By IRNA
New Delhi : Inflation in India rose to over three-year high of 7.41 per cent for the week ended March 29.
The wholesale price-based inflation was at 7 per cent in the previous week.
The surge is mainly on account of rising prices of fruits and vegetables, pulses, cereals, condiment and spices and some manufactured items.
During the week, prices of fruits and vegetables shot up by 3 per cent whereas pulses went up by 1.2 per cent.
The condiments and spices surged by 2 per cent while wheat and fish marine each rose by 1 per cent.
However, prices of milk and maize softened by 1 per cent.
Minerals group was up mainly driven by prices of limestone which jumped 14 per cent.
In the manufactured category, sugar prices went expensive by 2 per cent; groundnut oil and khandsari were dearer by 1 per cent.
However, prices of imported edible oil got cheaper by 5 per cent and sun-flower oil by 3 per cent.
The high inflation may prompt RBI to take tough monetary measures to ease out inflationary pressure in its annual credit policy, scheduled to be announced on 29th of this month.
Even the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had stated Thursday that high food prices may hurt economic growth and economic reforms process.