Weekly inflation up by 0.55pc

The Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the lowest income group up to Rs3,000 has registered increase of 0.55 per cent for the week ended on April 23 over the previous week, APP reported. The SPI for the week under review in the above mentioned group was recorded at 222.10 as against 220.88 registered in the previous week, according to provisional figures of Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS).The weekly SPI has been computed with base 2000-01=100 covering 17 urban centres and 53 essential items for all income groups and combined. SPI for the combined group registered increase of 0.23 per cent by growing up from 211.69 in the previous week to 212.18 in the week under review. As compared to the corresponding week of last year, the SPI for combined group in the week under review witnessed increase of 13.99 per cent.

As compared to last week, the SPI for the group falling in the income brackets of 3,001-5,000, 5,001-12,000 and above 12,000 increased by 0.48 per cent, 0.32 per cent and 0.05 per cent, respectively. During the week under review average prices of 13 items registered decrease, while that of 21 items increase with the remaining 19 items’ prices unchanged.The items, which recorded decrease in their average prices during the week under review included, tomatoes, onions, LPG (11 kg cylinder), egg (farm), chicken (farm), garlic, rice irri-6, sugar, rice basmati (broken), mustard oil, wheat (average quality), red chillies and cooking oil (tin).

The items, which registered increase in their prices, included potatoes, wheat flour (average quality), electricity bulb (60wats), vegetable ghee (loose), gur, bananas, coarse latha, voil (printed), mash pulse (washed), moong pulse (washed), curd, salt (powdered), milk (fresh), lawn, washing soap, beef, tea (prepared), mutton, masoor pulse (washed), gram pulse (washed) and vegetable ghee (tin). The items with no change in their average prices during the week under review, included bread plain (mid size), milk (powdered), tea (packet), cooked beef, cooked daal, cigarettes, shirting, sandal (gents), sandal (ladies), chappal, kerosene, firewood, match box, bath soap, gas charges (up to 3.3719 MMBTU), electricity charges (1-100 units), petrol, diesel and local telephone call.