New Delhi: After 16 weeks of over 5.0 per cent, inflation fell to 4.91 per cent mark for the week ended March six due to sharp fall in prices of vegetables, wheat, fuel products and manufactured items including food products.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation for the latest reported week fell by 0.41 per cent from 5.32 per cent in the previous week and was in line with the Centre's expectation of containing inflation by the end of 2003-04. The index was as high as 5.74 per cent a year-ago period.

The last time the general price level touched below 5.0 per cent was during the period ended November 8, 2003.

The WPI declined by 0.2 per cent to 179.6 points in the latest reported week with all the major indices of primary, fuels and manufactured products moving downwards and the index was 171.2 points in the previous year period.

Centre revised upwards the final inflation to 6.63 per cent for the week ended January 10 as compared to provisional figure of 6.21 per cent.

The final WPI stood corrected at 178.6 points during the second week of January as against the provisional level of 177.9 points.

The index of mass consumption Primary articles' group fell substantially by 0.5 per cent to 181.6 points on account of cheaper food and non-food articles and the index was 177.9 points a year-ago period.

Food articles' group index fell by a sharp near one per cent to 179.2 points due to lower prices for eggs (five per cent), bajra (three per cent), fish-inland, vegetables and fruits and wheat (two per cent each) and ragi (one per cent).

The index of Non-Food articles' group fell marginally by 0.2 per cent to 192.6 points due to cheaper rape and mustard seed (four per cent), Niger seed (two per cent) and safflower, raw silk, linseed and castor seed (one per cent each).

But prices soared for fodder (three per cent), Soya bean (two per cent) and raw jute (one per cent).

Fuel, power, light and lubricants' group index, which was firm for the last five weeks, however, fell by 0.4 per cent to 262.3 points due to seven per cent decline in the price of naphtha and three per cent in furnace oil. The index was 252.7 points in the previous year period.

The index of heavy weighted Manufactured Products' group was down by 0.1 per cent to 160.4 points due to fall in the prices of food products, paper and non-metallic minerals even as commodities like textiles, chemicals, basic metals, machine tools and transport equipment became costlier. The index was 150.7 points in the year-ago period.