Inflation shot up to a four-year high at 8.17 per cent for the week ended August 21 despite a number of steps, including duty cuts on petroleum products and steel, taken by the government to rein in prices.
The point-to-point Wholesale Price Index inflation rose by 0.23 per cent from 7.94 per cent in the previous week mainly due to costlier vegetables, diesel and manufactured items, including edible oils.
Inflation was only 3.82 per cent in the year-ago period.
Analysts said the latest inflation figures have not factored in the influence of the truckers' strike, which had pushed up prices of essential commodities.
Despite the duty cut in diesel, fuel became costlier by one per cent in the latest reported period.
The WPI rose by 0.2 per cent to 188 points with all the major indices of primary articles, fuels and manufactured products moving up. It was 173.8 points in the previous year period.
Government revised upwards inflation to 6.95 per cent during the week ended June 26 as compared to the provisional level of 6.09 per cent.
The final WPI stood corrected at 186.2 points as against the provisional figure of 184.7 during the last week of June.
The index of primary articles' group was up by 0.2 per cent to 192.7 points due to costlier food items. The index was 177.7 points in the previous year period.
Food articles' group index rose by 0.2 per cent to 189 points due to higher prices of coffee (six per cent), vegetables (four per cent), maize and eggs (three per cent each), fruits (two per cent) and wheat, masur and arhar (one per cent each).
However, prices declined in the case of beef and buffalo meat (seven per cent), fish-marine and poultry chicken (three per cent), condiments and spices (two per cent), and milk and urad (one per cent each).
A nine per cent dip in raw rubber price pushed down the index for non-food articles' group marginally by 0.1 per cent to 195.1 points.
But prices soared for fodder (five per cent), linseed and gingelly seed (four per cent each), castor seed (two per cent) and safflower, copra and tobacco (one per cent).
Fuel, power, light and lubricants' group index rose by 0.3 per cent to 279.2 points due to one per cent hike in the price of diesel. It was 249.5 points a year ago.
The index of heavy-weighted manufactured products' group was up by 0.2 per cent to 166 points owing to costlier food products, tobacco, textiles and machinery. The index was 155.5 points in the previous year.