New Delhi, July 9 - India's annual rate of inflation dropped to minus 1.55 percent for the week ended June 27, from minus 1.30 percent the week before, according to official data released here Thursday.

India's annual rate of inflation turned negative for the week ended June 6, for the first time since the new wholesale price index (WPI) series started in 1995.

The inflation rate had last turned negative in 1977.

The price index for primary articles rose 0.3 percent, while that for fuel and power remained unchanged at its previous week's level of 327.9 (provisional) while manufactured products declined by 0.1 percent.

The final data for the week ended April 25 showed that the revised annual inflation rate actually stood at 1.48 percent.