The central bank tightening the monetary policy Friday ratcheted up the discount rate by 50 basis points or 0.5 percent. Acting Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Yasin Anwar made the announcement while briefing the media men on the monetary measures being taken for the next two months. He said the rate of interest is being hiked from 12.5 percent to 13 percent while the rate of inflation will remain between 11 to 12 percent during the current fiscal. Inflation is likely to remain higher than the targeted figure in the fiscal 2010, he added.