Weekly inflation up by 0.5 per cent

ISLAMABAD: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), for the week ended on December 31, for the lowest income group up to Rs3,000, has registered an increase of 0.5 per cent over the previous week, according to provisional figures by the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS).
 
The weekly SPI has been computed with the year 2000-2001 as its base, covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups.


SPI for the combined group also registered an increase of 0.38 per cent over the previous week in the week under review.

As compared to the last week, the SPI for the income groups ranging from Rs3,001-5,000, Rs5,001-12,000 and above Rs12,000 increased by 0.47 per cent, 0.42 per cent and 0.29 per cent respectively.

The SPI for the combined group in the week under review witnessed an increase of 14.12 per cent as compared to the corresponding week of last year.

During the week under review average prices of eight items registered a decrease, prices of 12 items increased and the prices of the remaining items were unchanged.

The items which recorded a decrease in their average prices during the week under review included chicken (farm), garlic, LPG( 11 kg cylinder), mash pulse (washed), egg (farm), tomatoes, potatoes and gur.

The items which registered an increase in their prices included, onions, sugar, bananas, rice (irri-6), rice basmati (broken), wheat flour (average quality), vegetable ghee (loose), mustard oil, moong pulse (washed), tea (prepared), wheat (average quality) and gram pulse (washed).

The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review included, masoor pulse (washed), beef, mutton, bread plain (mid size), milk (fresh), milk (powdered), curd, vegetable ghee (tin), cooking oil (tin), salt (powdered), red chillies, tea (packet), cooked beef, cooked dal, cigarettes, coarse latha, lawn, voil (printed), shirting, sandal (gents), sandal (ladies), chappal, kerosene, firewood, electricity bulb (60wats), match box, washing soap, bath soap, gas charges (up to 3.3719 MMBTU) electricity charges (1-100 unit), petrol, diesel, telephone local call.—APP