Inflation seen at 11.44 pct, 13-year high

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's annual inflation rate is expected to have risen to its highest in more than 13 years in late June, driven by higher prices of fuel and strong demand in the economy, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday.

The wholesale price index is forecast to have risen to 11.44 percent in the 12 months to June 21, which would be the highest since annual numbers in the current series became available in April 1995.

Last week, Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said inflation is expected to stay in double digits for some weeks and may start to moderate after three months.

It would be the 19th consecutive week that the inflation rate has been above 5.5 percent, the central bank's target by the end of the fiscal year in March 2009.

The data is due around noon (0630 GMT) on Friday.

Last month, the central bank raised its main lending rate by 75 basis points and increased banks' reserve requirement by 50 basis points to contain inflation expectations.

The wholesale price index is more closely watched than the consumer price index (CPI) because it includes more products and is also published weekly. The CPI is released monthly.

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