Barely a week after the vote-on-account, the government has announced measures that are being broadly referred to as the third stimulus package.

In a bid to maintain retail electricity prices ahead of the general elections, due in April-May this year, the government has decided to keep naphtha imports free of customs duty beyond March 31.

New Delhi, Feb 19 : Inflation figures based on the official Wholesale Price Index (WPI) showed a fall to 3.92 per cent for the week ended February 7 from 4.92 percent a week before.

Inflation rates declined primarily due to falling prices of manufactured items.

The WPI for all commodities declined 0.2 percent to 228 (provisional) from 228.4 (provisional) the week before.

During the week, prices of manufactured items such as sugar, imported edible oil and textile items such as cotton yarn got cheaper.

Officiating finance minister Pranab Mukherjee's Interim Budget for 2009-10 has provided for a six-month extension of the interest subsidy scheme, for exporters' loans taken in the labor-intensive sectors.

The announced extension of the 2 percent interest subsidy scheme - for small and medium enterprises as well as long-established export areas, like leather, textiles, marine products, gems and jewellery - will be costing the exchequer nearly Rs 500 crore in 2009-10.